Digimon: The Digital Keepers Saga
by Snodin
Summary: Book TwentySeven: Crossovers A new era has begun in the Digital World, and with this new era come new friends, new enemies, and... new DigiKeepers?
1. Repeat Step One

(Author's Note: I would like to take a moment to say that as part of my Disclaimer, I do not own Digimon.

"Digimon" and its characters ((except for a few in this story, which are my own)) are owned by Bandai.

Also, Ashley Weidenbaum was created by another fan author; her name will be added later as soon as I reclaim that lost information. Now enjoy the story!)

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_"Once upon a time, not very long ago, the human race found a way to reach the stars. Once this was achieved, mankind began to wonder; wonder if there would come a time when they could travel to other worlds. Then one day, it happened. Humans were able to enter another world, one far different from their own. One where they could co-exist with new and amazing creatures. The ironic part was, they didn't have to leave their planet after all."_

-Gennai

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book One: "Repeat Step One"**

The old man continued walking down the dark hallway with his young companion. As they eyed the colorful, glowing inscriptions on the walls, the ancient one continued his story:

"This (pointing to a picture of The Earth) is Earth; The Real World. This world is one of many created by The Powers That Be; therefore, it has no magic. It is dominated by humans, who live their lives with the aid of science, technology, and religion. Then, (pointing to a picture of a similar-looking planet) there is The Digital World. It was created through computer data and magic combined. The dominant creatures here are digital monsters with magic powers of their own, called digimon."

The old man stretched out his hand to a pattern of symbols and characters on a wall and continued:

"For thousands of years, all of the worlds have been separated. It is best that they stay that way to preserve the balance of nature. However, in the year 1993, a barrier was broken…

------------ Vision: The Story, Told According to Gennai ------------

It was in the middle of the night when it happened. Adults would say that it was a natural disaster, or a surprise terrorist attack. Either way, they would have been wrong- only eight children, who at the time were merely toddlers, knew the truth. One by one, six of them crawled out of their beds to the sound of thunder and the vibrations of the earth quaking. They each followed the sounds and the quakes to their windows of their apartment complexes; there, they watched in horror and amazement as two giant monsters- an orange dinosaur and a green parrot, both as tall as the buildings around them- fought each other wildly in the street.

As for the other two children, they were right in the middle of the battle, taking shelter beneath a bridge nearby. They were a brother and sister, shaken and excited at the same time.

_"Two digimon- one who had befriended humans (Greymon) and one who sought to destroy them (Parrotmon)- had broken through a loop hole, into the reality of planet Earth. Only eight human children witnessed the battle. Those eight children became who we now know as The Digi-Destined."_

Flash forward to four years later, where we see each of the original heroes battling one enemy digimon at a time…

_"Four years later, those first eight Digi-Destined were sent to the digital world to battle one force of evil after another. Each one was given a digimon partner, and together, they brought out the best in each other._

It starts with Tai and his digimon facing off against a Dark Tyrannomon.

_"There was Tai Kamiya, the leader. Brash and hard-headed at first, he learned how to accept responsibility for his actions. His partner, Agumon, became the revered powerhouse known as Greymon._

Next comes a pre-teen Matt, who watches his digimon evolve and battle a Seadramon.

_"Matt Ishida didn't understand friendship until he met Gabumon. Together, he and Garurumon became a force to be reckoned with."_

Next is Sora and her digimon, who launches into action in her evolved form as soon as a nasty-looking Meramon shows up in the scene.

_"Like Matt, Sora Takenouchi was very bottled up; but once she opened up her heart to Biyomon, her partner grew into a fiery Birdramon."_

A scared-witless Joe stands on the edge of water, where his digimon dukes it out with a Gesomon as waves crash.

_"Though he was the oldest and most reliable of the group, Joe Kido was in need of a backbone. But that's when he met Gommamon, who is also Ikkakumon."_

Then there's a pre-teen Izzy, who (as he is at any age) quickly twiddles his fingers on his computer laptop, while observing his digimon's evolution into Kabuterrimon at work.

_"Koushiro Izumi- Izzy to his friends- was always helpful in solving the mysteries to the digital world. He let his partner, Tentomon, do all the really hard work; though I don't think he ever complained about that."_

Cutting over to a young Mimi, who travels through a wooded forest with her partner hand in hand; soon they walk hand in glove, as soon as a mean Blossomon arrives.

_"Joe's hatred of violence paled in comparison to Mimi Tachikawa's. It's a good thing she had Palmon, who makes one of the best bodyguards of all time."_

Then there's young T.K., who watches one of the hardest of battles ever: Angemon vs. Devimon.

_"Matt's little brother, Takeru 'T.K.' Takaishi, may have been very young, but his heart, as well as Angemon's, was in the right place when it came to dealing with the most evil of digimon..."_

Rounding off the first group of Digi-Destined is Kari, who watches as Gatomon morphs into Angewomon to deal with her worst of enemies, Myotismon.

_"And the same could be said about Tai's little sister, Kari. She and Gatomon joined the team a little late in the game, but couldn't come at a better time, when Myotismon decided to take over the real world."_

Myotismon's (first) death triggers a change of scenery, as we flash forward another four years, to see the Digi-Destined team gain four new faces and two familiar but older ones.

_"After defeating many villains, including some called the Dark Masters, it seemed as though the time of the Digi-Destined was at an end... But it was only beginning. Four years later, a new team had arrived. Unofficially led by an older T.K. and Kari, these young ones had proven themselves just like the children before them..."_

We start off with Davis, who charges with his Rookie-to-Champion digimon on the battlefield against a Golemon.

_"Tai had handed down his goggles to Davis Motomiya; a young man whose head is just as hard, if not harder. Perhaps it's fitting that he had become paired off with the equally stubborn Veemon."_

We move on to Ken and his partner, standing over a cliff in a dark wasteland, where they face off against a Snimon.

_"No one's had a harder path to walk than Ken Ichijouji; once a slave to evil, he broke free from his dark influence, thanks in large part to Wormmon."_

Next in line is Yolei, who races through a field while her Rookie-to-Champion partner flies high after a menacing Cockatorimon.

_"Yolei Inoue has the attitude of a princess but the heart of a warrior; a perfect match-up for the noble Hawkmon."_

Finally, there's Cody, the youngest of all groups. He shows his digimon partner how to "play" Kendo.

_"And last but certainly not least is our youngest member, Cody Hida. His father, a police officer, gave his life to save others; now he feels compelled to follow in his father's footsteps. And always by his side- at least in the digital world- is the gentle-hearted Armadillomon."_

------------ End Vision ------------

The old man then concluded his story; "The last time these children fought evil, it was against Myotismon once again, but this time he was in his strongest form ever. The Digi-Destined couldn't defeat him alone; since they were at crossroads between our two worlds, it took the hopes and dreams of children from all over the real world to help defeat him. After that, it was all over... So it seemed."

The young boy by his side asked, "But Gennai, it's nearly been four years since then. What's happened since?" The old man turned to the child and answered, "Well son, as you know the digital and real world cannot co-exist with each other; it's just not meant to be. So after the epic battle with MaloMyotismon, we had to seal off all loop holes and strengthen all barriers, causing the real world to be once again separated from the digital world."

The child frowned, "But what about the Digi-Destined? And their digimon? Will they ever see each other again?" The ancient one then looked to a pattern of symbols and characters at the far end of the wall, and sighed, "Oh yes. As long as the forces of evil continue to endanger our world, we can always count on those chosen children from the real world... In fact... We may be needing them again, very soon..."

Odiaba, Japan. The year is 2004, nearing the spring

In the night, the city glistened with thousands of lights glowing from the buildings. At the heart of it all was a television station. Inside, young men by the dozens were bustling around, doing their individual jobs.

The busiest room of all was the office where young and old men alike were watching the television monitors, ready to cue commercials and other programs. Preserving it all was a tall man in his prime named Mr. Ishida.

"Sir," said one of the employees, "I'm getting something weird here..." The big boss turned around curiously, "Huh?" "Come 'ere," responded the young man, pushing himself slightly away from his monitor. The older man came over and looked closely at the screen. He gasped, "What the..."

Soon enough, it spread throughout the whole control room, like wildfire. All of the television monitors showed a black screen with hundreds of little blue number patterns. Patterns of ones and zeroes, like a computer code. They zipped across all the screens, illuminating the room with a warm yet frightening blue light.

"It's some kinda virus!" guessed Ishida. "Can we stop it?" asked a younger employee. "Yes," nodded his boss, "try that. Override all computers."

Nothing could stop the spread of this "virus", as it suddenly crept out of the television station, and made its way into stores... hospitals... computers in all houses... Everyone saw the black and blue screen on either a computer or a television screen. Ones and zeroes, all in small print, in dozens of moving sequences. It was everywhere.

It was bad enough they had a virus going around, but the next thing Ishida and his company saw next was, needless to say, shocking to the point of speechlessness.

All of his younger employees were running around, looking for a computer to log into so they can clear the virus.

But all movement stopped, and all faces fell silent, as soon as they all saw what was on the main screen. The main screen- bigger than all the rest- had the same sequences of zeroes and ones, like the other screens.

But this one formed a pattern, shaped like a dragon.

The next morning, Ken Ichijouji was searching his locker for the books for his next class. Once he picked them up, he wrapped his right arm on top of them, and with his left hand he placed the books of his earlier class in the locker. He was so focused on keeping things organized, he didn't hear Davis Motomiya sneaking up behind him.

"HEY!" Davis purposely yelled, making Ken drop all his belongings and scream with utter shock. While Ken paused to regain physical stability- reaching for his heart in the process- Davis started singing to himself in an almost teasing manner.

Davis started to playfully walk away, when Ken angrily called to him, "WHAT is your _problem_, Davis!?" "No problem," Davis joyfully smiled; "just ready for the oral report, s'all! You psyched?" "Yeah, right," Ken muttered sarcastically, closing his locker door. He then joined Davis, and the two of them started walking down the hall.

"So," Ken asked, "you're actually excited about physics class?" "You bet!" cheered Davis. As he started talking, the adrenalin coming from within him crept out through the movements of his hands and legs. Meanwhile, Ken walked tall and calm; their movements alone made it seem that the two boys were too opposite of each other for them to be considered friends.

Davis explained, "I told the teacher that I can prove everything he said about dimensions wrong. All's I gotta do is show my D-3, and talk about the digital world!" Ken smiled, "He's probably not gonna buy it." "Probably not," Davis shook his head, "but I know everybody else will! Man, just thinking about the digimon and all gets me all hyped up!"

Ken then stopped and asked cautiously, "Hyped enough to go through tonight's soccer game?" Davis skidded to a halt, as all the joy inside him suddenly caved in. Angered, Davis shot a glare at his best friend and growled, "Did you _have _to bring that up?" Ken shrugged, "Hey, it's our first game season; I thought you'd be ready for it." Davis frowned, "It's not _my_ fault the team sucks!"

"Hey, Motomiya!" called out a young boy. Ken and Davis turned to the boy, as he smiled sarcastically, "Great practice yesterday. I liked how you guys stuck around to rake up all the broken bones." Davis rose a fist and snarled, "Just you wait, Kamatachi! Later on I'll get ALL the players on the field and we're gonna practice like nothing before!" "Oh," nodded the boy; "So this time you really _will_ practice." "Why you-" started Davis, who was instantly held back by Ken. "Hey, hey- HEY!" Ken yelled; "Don't go after him; you'll only make it worse."

Davis brushed off Ken's hand from his shoulder, eyes still on "Kamatachi." The bell rang. As all the other students walked (or ran) to their classrooms, Davis vowed to his rival, "I don't care HOW many times we gotta run the drill; we're gonna get it RIGHT this time, and tonight we're gonna kick some serious Tokyo TAIL! Right, Ken?" That's when he realized Ken went to class. Davis gasped, made a quick turn around to find his classroom, and ran to it.

Meanwhile, a younger boy who lived further away in Odaiba was in the middle of his Kendo practice. He was fighting his much bigger, older opponent with grace and agility. It could be seen by all who witnessed that this boy- despite his small size- had been practicing this fighting technique for a long time, as was very good at it.

He succeeded in driving his elder opponent to the other side of the platform that they were practicing on.

Finally, the older opponent announced, "Stop." The young boy did so, and took off his mask. His teacher did the same and smiled, "Well done, Cody. You'll be mastering Kendo in no time. Have you ever considered joining a regional championship?" Cody blushed, "Gosh, Sensei, I never really thought of that. This is just something my grandfather taught me, and well... I just wanna make him proud."

"Ah yes," sighed the teacher; "I knew your grandfather well; and I can already tell he'd be very proud of you Cody." Cody just nodded, trying to hide a frown.

Later that afternoon, Cody was waling home with two friends. One of them smiled, "You okay, Cody?" Cody sighed, "Yeah. It just seems so weird. I mean, I'm kinda used to being with my mom and grampa, but now it's just me and mom.."

The other friend looked up at the sky and wondered, "Hey, you think spirits can travel to other worlds?" Cody stopped and asked, "Huh?" "Like the digital world," his friend added; "If your dad and grampa are ghosts, you think they can go in and out of places like that?" The other boy smirked, "If my spirit could go anywhere it wanted, I'd go backstage of all the beauty pageants!" Cody couldn't help but laugh, then he sighed, "...I miss him though."

"Hey," smiled the blonde to his left, "you're allowed to miss him. We're just trying to cheer you up." Cody smiled to both of them, "Thanks, guys." The brunette to Cody's left asked, "So you coming with us to the mall later?" Cody shook his head, "I'm meeting up with my friend Yolei later at the park." The blonde smiled, "Oh, that cute girl we saw the other day?" Cody smirked, "She's way outta your league, Josh! ...But yeah, she and I are kinda close. You'd like her; she's smart, and really nice."

"I HATE YOU! I WANT YOU TO _DIE!_" screamed Yolei from her bedroom window.

She was looking down hatefully at her latest boyfriend, shouting, "YOU PROMISED ME YOU'D NEVER SEE HER AGAIN, AND YOU LIED TO ME! NOT ONLY THAT, YOU _KISSED_ HER! HOW COULD YOU KISS HER WHEN YOU'RE GOING OUT WITH _ME!?_" The young man, as scared as a rabbit staring down a fox, stuttered, "No no no no! Y-You don't understand. Sh-She kissed me-"

"OH, DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Yolei screamed. "Don't even GO THERE, boy! The old 'She kissed me' thing is no longer relevant! They just passed a new law stating that ALL kissing is EQUAL!" "...W-when they do that?" the boy foolishly asked. "GET OUT OF HERE!" she hollered furiously, and proceeded to move away from the window.

"I know I was stupid," the young man admitted; "I shoulda known I was weak. I can't help it; I'm a man! Men have these uncontrollable urges, you know? We're just being true to our natural instincts, our primal-" WHAM! The poor kid just didn't see that thick textbook coming, and it slammed into his face.

Stunned and cross-eyed, he chirped, "Right... Well..." Trying to keep his balance, he wobbled as he looked at the blurry, spinning images of Yolei and saluted, "I'll see ya later." With that, he stumbled away.

Yolei slammed the window shut. With a small growl, she slowly walked back to her bedroom desk. That was her third boyfriend this month alone; her fifth altogether. The depression was taken control of her already, as she gave a sad sigh.

Walking past her desk, she shut her laptop- not noticing that it had a black screen with a pattern of light blue zeroes and ones, making an image of a tiger. Then she noticed that on her mirror were pictures of her and that new "Ex." She glared at them, realizing that they no longer matter to her anymore. One by one, she took each picture, tore it up, and tossed the pieces in the wastebasket next to her drawer. That wastebasket was filling up fast with photo pieces.

Yolei was just about to tear the last photo from her mirror, when she noticed who was in it. Ken Ichijouji.

Yolei paused, staring blankly at the image. She hasn't seen him in quite some time. Sure they kept in touch, but it wasn't the same anymore. When she saw that image, all she saw was a cute young man. A crush. That's all he was.

She tore the picture down.

Ken twirled a pencil in his hand as he and the rest of the class listened carefully to what Davis had to say at the front of the classroom. "So," Davis lectured, "we know for sure that there are other worlds out there, 'cause we've already seen one: The digital world!" A student raised his hand and asked, "What is it exactly? I mean, is it like virtual reality?" "Better than that!" Davis smiled; "It's real, almost like walking through a video game. At least, I think so."

Ken rolled his eyes; he knew it was more than that.

Davis continued, "And it's got real living creatures in it; they're called digimon." "Digimon?" asked the teacher. "Digital monsters," Davis nodded. "Are they good or bad?" a female student asked. Davis answered, "Most are good, and some are bad. It's the good ones that helped us save the world four years ago...

"Am I forgetting anything?" Ken smiled and gave him a nod; "Tell 'em about digivolving." "Right!" Davis cheered. "Digi-volving?" the teacher raised an eyebrow. Davis took a breath and said, "Okay, let me explain this slowly and carefully.

"Each digimon has six life stages. Three are baby forms, and the other three are adult forms. They're not like us, who start small, grow up and die. The digimon grow up according to the amount of energy they have." Suddenly, Davis started visualizing the life span of his own digimon: Veemon.

------------ Vision: Veemon's Life Span, Davis's VO ------------

All there is, in front of a plain white background, is a blue egg.

_"Every digimon comes from an egg."_

The egg cracks, and out pops Chibimon. He bounces up and down excitedly.

_"When they hatch, the digimon is just a Baby. All digimon babies look like colorful bubbles. From there, they get stronger, and evolve- excuse me, _digi_volve..."_

Chibimon evolves into DemiVeemon. He scratches his neck with his leg, like a puppy, looking excited all the while.

_"to In-Training. That means, they're like toddlers now, and they have little or no magic at all. From there..."_

DemiVeemon becomes Veemon.

_"They become little kids, called Rookies. Now they're starting to learn their magic, and they have at least one attack. That's the last baby stage."_

------ End Vision ------

"Next," Davis continued, "they start to become adults. But the digimon that Ken and I know can't become adults, until we use one of these." He then pulled out his D-3. "What's that?" the teacher asked. Davis answered, "This is called a D-3; well, it's actually an advanced version of what we call a digivice."

------------ Back to the Vision ------------

Veemon yawns, looking bored.

_"We activate one of these things, and suddenly, the Rookie becomes..."_

Without warning, Veemon digivolves to ExVeemon, looking proud.

_"a Champion! Champions look like full-fledged adults, and they have like two or three attacks. From there, they become Ultimates. Now, to become an Ultimate, the digimom needs help from a Crest. That's what the first Digi-Destined kids had."_

------ End Vision ------

"But," Davis frowned, "when me and my friends were there, we didn't have our own Crests. So our digimon did this thing called Jogress digivolving. That's when two Champions merge together to become one Ultimate. Ken's digimon merged with mine." Ken nodded.

------------ Back to Vision ------------

ExVeemon flexes his muscles.

_"So, either by a Crest or through Jogress, the Champion becomes..."_

Suddenly, he becomes Paildramon.

(Davis) _"Ultimate! They're bigger and stronger than the Champions." _

(Male Student) _"Is that it?" _

(Davis) _"Nope! After that, they get their final stage..."_

Paildramon becomes Imperial Dramon.

_"which is called Mega. You can't get any bigger and stronger than this, baby!"_

(Female Student) _"Well, they die after that, right?"_

(Davis) _"Yeah, digimon can die, but what they also do is run out of power. Once that happens-"_

To his surprise, Imperial Dramon zips right back to being DemiVeemon. The impact sends him landing on his rear, and he lets out a cute squeak. He looks dizzy.

_"they go back to one of their baby stages; mostly the In-Trainee stage. Then they gotta wait until they can get all their power again!"_

------ End Vision ------

"You get it now?" Davis asked.

The teacher then said, "This is all very entertaining, Mr. Motomiya, but can you prove how two dimensions can co-exist without breaking the laws of nature?" Davis smirked, "Sure. We live here, digimon live there." The teacher sighed, "Well, isn't the real world the more natural dimension- at least that's what it sounds like you're saying, because otherwise it wouldn't be called 'The Real World.' And if the real world's natural levels, from the core to the stratosphere, how could a portal to the digital world shift through the dimensions without sending a permanent hole through our planet?"

Davis's face went blank, as did his mind. The first thing he did as a reaction was have his mouth drop, and his eyes look to Ken. Ken shook his head, letting Davis know he was on his own. "Uh..." Davis blurted out; "Ummm.... Well, it's like... The portals are always there; they just don't show up without the digivices."

The teacher asked, "So your digivice can open a dimension, while the rest of the planet remains stable?" Davis giggled, "Stable, yes!" The teacher crossed his arms and asked, "Mr. Motomiya, your theory on other dimensions seems a little logic, but I really don't see how a small Game Boy could rupture a force of existence like our planet, and then make it go back to normal in minutes."

The bell rang, and most of the students started to leave. Davis turned to the teacher, who didn't look back as he started back to his desk. Then Davis, who didn't seem to understand what his teacher said, looked to Ken, who was still sitting. His mouth read, "How'd I do?" In response, Ken lifted his pencil with one hand, making it stand horizontally. "This is you," Ken's mouth read, pointing to the pencil. Davis nodded, understanding. Ken nodded back... then with a quick thrust of his thumb, he snapped the pencil in half. Davis's face read "doomed" all over it.

"Gennai?"

The boy called to his old friend as he stared at a wall with inscriptions he's never seen before. "Yes?" replied the aging one, walking over to where the child was. The boy pointed to those colorful glowing symbols and asked, "What are these?"

Gennai smiled, "These, Kellen, are the nine original crests. See, it wasn't enough for the Digi-Destined to have digivices that help their digimon evolve. They were given these other devices called 'crests.' They tap into the human heart and unleash a powerful virtue that can very well define that particular human." He scrolled down the line and read, "Courage, Friendship, Kindness, Love, Knowledge, Sincerity, Reliability, Hope, and Light."

Then the old man pointed to the symbols below the top line and continued, "But the barrier that tried to separate our two different dimensions grew all the more weaker; therefore, more crests were added. Fate, Unity, Loyalty, Innocence... There are more than I can remember off the top of my head, but I do know one very important thing." "What's that?" asked the child.

The old man pointed to the very bottom line of symbols on the wall, where four symbols were present but not glowing like the rest. Gennai answered, "These final four crests have not been used yet. The Digi-Destined who need them have already been called to action, but they didn't need their crests yet." "Why not?" asked Kellen. Gennai shrugged, "The situation they were in had no need for these crests. But soon, my boy; soon these last four crests will light up, marking the beginning of the greatest war we've ever faced..."

Another teammate skidded onto the grass, just missing the opportunity to kick the soccer ball. On the sidelines of the soccer field, Davis stood and yelled, "You're KILLING me, guys! come on, KICK THE BALL! Bruce? Bruce, whaddya call that, a reflex? Keep your eyes open, Lee! NO! THAT WAY, THE GOAL IS THAT WAY!"

One of their friends saw the ball coming to his head, and caught it with his hands. "BRUCE!" he called out and while he waved his hands in the air, mimicking Bruce's mistake, he yelled, "WHAT IS THIS!?" Then, as if on purpose just for the sake of humor, Davis imitated (poorly) a dramatic English accent, "Use your legs, man! Your LEGS! It's what they're FOR!"

Next to Davis was Ken, who was typing away on the laptop that was carefully placed in his lap. Davis, humiliated, buried his head in his hands and said, "Oh my God... Oh my God, I can't watch this anymore!" He got up and started moving away; "I gotta go! I- I'm gettin' outta here!" Without even taking his eyes off the laptop's monitor, Ken pointed to him and yelled, "Davis, get back here!"

Davis came back, growling, "I can't take this anymore! It's like they're doing it on purpose now!" "Relax," his friend smiled; "It's only the fifth game, and most of these guys are freshmen. They'll get better-" "WE'RE freshmen," Davis reminded Ken, "and we RULE at this game! Why can't they?" Ken calmly said, "Just calm down."

Davis shot a glare at him and huffed, "You so smart? Then _you _coach 'em." "I can't," Ken shook his head; "I've got a research report due tomorrow." His friend felt betrayed, so he gave a nod and moaned, "You suck, you know that? When you want to, you can really suck." Ken smiled, "At least I'm passing grades."

Davis's eyes wandered for a moment, and saw a group of young ladies coming down the bleachers. He sighed, "Uh-oh, here come the _jeer_-leaders.." For once, Ken's eyes looked up, and smiled, "Aw, not all of 'em hate us; look who's leading the way." Once Davis realized who it was, his jaw dropped and his eyes beamed.

Ashley Weidenbaum.

This was a well built young lady the same age as Ken and Davis, with long, semi-curly hair; chestnut brown with blonde highlights. Her soft green eyes complimented her pleasant smile, as she and her friends paraded down the bleachers. For Davis, it all happened in slow motion, and the closer this youthful teen came, the glossier his eyes got. He was practically breathless.

Ashley and company walked right up to Davis and Ken- at this point Ken's attention drew back to the laptop. Nearly making a curtsy, she smiled, "Hey, guys! How's it going?" "Good," replied the preoccupied Ken. Ashley then looked Davis in the eye and greeted pleasantly, "Hi, Davis." "Hi," he smiled back, sounding calm. "Enjoying practice?" she asked curiously. "Uh.." Davis began, taking a quick peek at his teammates. Watching a whole group of them accidentally tackle each other, he turned back to Ashley and nodded, "I can honestly say nothing's surprised me yet."

The young lady watched the fall and shook her head, "Ouch. Not looking good for the game tonight, huh?" Davis smiled at her with a voice of optimism, "Ah, it's just the fifth game and most of these guys are freshmen anyways. We'll get better... someday." No one seemed to notice, but Ken shot a glare at Davis at that time.

"HA!" laughed a familiar voice from within Ashley's crowd. Out stepped Davis's sister, Jun, and she smiled teasingly at him, "These guys are gonna get trashed, Davis. You might as well forfeit!" "HEY!" Davis jumped up and threw his pointer finger at her; "I'm not about quitting, razor-head!" Jun reacted sarcastically, "Ooo! Big talker; can ya back it up?" With that, she shoved him. Davis growled, "Don't test me, Donna King!"

Ken looked up and asked, "Hey Jun. Whatcha doing here?" Jun smiled at him, "Hey, Ken! I just came by to wish my little brother luck." With that, she attempted to noogie Davis, who backed away growling. "Guys, come on!" Ashley stepped in. "Stay outta this, Ashley," Jun glared at her. "Yeah, Ash," Davis nodded, "this is just between me and the red sunflower." Jun stuck her tongue out at him, and he pulled down his eyelid at her.

Ashley sighed, "Why can't the two of you be more like Ken? He looks like he can handle anything." Davis replied, "Yeah, he _looks _it, but that's as far as it goes." "I heard that," frowned the occupied one.

Jun said in a warning tone, "Well, I really came by to let you guys know, Mom's not gonna be able to make it to your game. You're gonna have to take the train to and from Tokyo." "Thanks," Ken smiled. Davis replied, "We got the money... Oh yeah, thanks Jun." Jun smiled, "No problem!" She then looked to the poor-playing team and giggled, "I really do wish you luck, Davis... you're gonna need it." With that, she turned and exited the way she came.

Ashley then turned to Davis with a kind smile; "Don't worry, you guys. I'll be at the game, and I'll be cheering for you all the way." Davis took this as a surprise and smiled, "...wow.. Well.. Thank you!" Ashley smiled, "See ya later." "Bye," waved the boys, as Ashley and her friends left.

Davis sat back down beside Ken and sighed. Ken heard the sigh and smiled as he kept on typing away, "Yeah." "...Yeah, what?" Davis asked. Ken finally looked away from the laptop, at Davis, and nodded slyly, "You like her." "Who," Davis asked, "Jun? She's my sister, dude!" Ken slightly giggled, "No, Ashley." Davis jumped back in stern denial; "Nu-uh; I like Kari!" Ken nodded sarcastically, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Just then, he looked back to the laptop, and suddenly gasped, "What the-"

"What is it?" Davis asked, moving closer to Ken's laptop. "I.. I don't know!" Ken frowned in shock. They both saw it. The screen fell black, and all there was to see were dozens of sequences of light blue zeroes and ones. Davis gasped, "Hey! I saw that last night on my computer!" Ken's face fell angrily, "It's some kind of virus." He then started typing again. "What are you doing?" Davis asked. Ken replied, "I gotta try to fix this; if I lose that report I'm gonna be in serious trouble tomorrow."

Ken tried all he could to take out the virus, not paying attention to the fact that the blue number code was forming into a bird.

Davis's attention drifted as he impatiently sighed, "Our team's dying, and he's worried about a virus... Reminds me of Yolei."

Meanwhile, Yolei and Cody were sitting at a bench in the park. Yolei let out a deep, depressed sigh. Cody asked, "You still got the flu?" "No," Yolei replied; "it's... It's Chad. I just broke up with him." Cody nodded matter-of-factly, "Mm-hmm, I knew it! I knew that guy was a crumb." "I know," Yolei's eyes glistened in sorrow; "I should've listened to you..." "Aw, it's okay," Cody smiled pleasantly.

Yolei then changed the subject: "Hey, did you see that computer virus last night?" Cody nodded, "The one with those blue numbers and pictures?" "Pictures?" Yolei raised an eyebrow; "I didn't see any pictures." Cody explained, "I saw one pattern where the numbers made an image of a turtle.. or something like that." Yolei shrugged, "I don't know, it just kinda creeped me out."

Cody turned away and said, "Have you seen any of our old friends, like TK, Kari, or Davis?" Yolei smirked, "You forgot Ken again." Cody smiled, "I was just testing you, to see if you were paying attention." Yolei giggled, "...Yeah, we all keep in touch through email. But it's been a while since we actually saw each other."

Cody replied, "They got a game tonight at Tokyo. I can't make it, 'cause I'm running errands at home. Are you going?" Yolei paused, and shook her head, "I can't. I got things to do too... But I'm sure Davis and Ken'll be alright. They usually are..."

Tokyo, Japan.

It was evening. The visitors from Odiaba entered the soccer field, noticing how large and clean the grass was, and how massive the crowd was. This wasn't like their own field- first of all, this one was much bigger. And there were fans. Real live fans!

The home team paraded to the field with the echo of cheers and a school band playing. As they did, Ken and Davis took their seats on the sidelines. Ken was looking calm as usual- in fact, he had a gleam in his eye as he looked around, almost in admiration. Davis, however, sighed sadly. Ken turned to him and gave a nod, "This is just Game Five. Anything can happen." "I know," Davis nodded back, "I know..."

At the face-off, the referee prepared the soccer ball for the first kickoff. The Odaiba player stood focused, with clenched fists. The Tokyo player stood in a similar way, but with confidence in his eyes. The referee blew the whistle. Two legs flew at each other like swords. One of them got the ball, and the other missed miserably. Tokyo charged the field, with the Odaiba players running at them like mad. But despite their effort, the opposing team made their way to their first goal, in seconds.

That was the sign that Ken and Davis were watching out for. The two star players of Odiaba looked to each other... and with their eyes, accepted defeat.

First half; Tokyo Dragons 1, Odaiba Warriors 0.

The Dragons gained control of the ball, and headed straight for the goal line. One of the Odaiba players tried to steal it, but skidded to the ground. The same attempt happened at least five or six times, before the Dragons scored yet again.

Minutes later, an Odaiba player charged at the Tokyo player with the ball, and just when he tried to steal, he was elbowed. The refs called the foul, but when the Odiaba player was granted a foul shot, he kicked the ball too high. So high in fact, it whacked someone in the stands right in the face. Davis and Ken cringed fearfully.

First half; Tokyo Dragons 5, Odaiba Warriors 0.

Davis ran down the field with the ball, and scored for Odaiba. Then he scored again a few minutes later. After the next face off, Davis took the ball again. But a Tokyo player came from behind and accidentally kicked Davis in the back of the leg in an attempt to steal the ball. Davis fell hard, and was taken out of the game.

Ken went into the game soon after that. He faced off against the Tokyo star player, who took the ball as soon as the ref blew the whistle. Ken quickly stole it and raced down the field. He dodged all the players, one by one. Soon enough, he made a swift kick and sent the ball flying into the goal. Odaiba cheered, but only for a few seconds because a Tokyo player purposely tripped Ken. Ken made a sudden crash, twisting his ankle. All the fans from Odaiba sighed sadly; this was the beginning of the end.

First half; Tokyo Dragons 15, Odaiba 3.

Bruce, one of the Odaiba players, saw the ball coming his way. Now normally, this would be a good opportunity to hit the ball with your head, but Bruce freaked out and caught it with his hands. The whistle was blown, and everybody stopped. Bruce froze in humiliation, and made a timid look to Davis, who saw what happened on the sidelines. After seeing the fury burning in the glaring eyes of Ken and Davis from the sidelines, Bruce gulped.

In the next kickoff, Bruce had his hands tied behind his back, but even that didn't stop the next five goals.

"COME ON, GUYS!" Davis yelled; "YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT! DEFENSE, DEFENSE!" Unfortunately, the guy who was supposed to steal the ball from Tokyo skidded into the grass, nearly breaking his leg. Tokyo scored again.

First half; Tokyo Dragons 32, Odaiba 3.

While Davis hung his head in defeat, Ken saw one of their players steal the ball from Tokyo. Ken stood up, eyes wide; "..we got the ball..." Davis jumped up; "We got the ball!" The two of them started jumping up and down, rejoicing: "WE GOT THE BALL! YES! WOO-HOO! WE GOT THE BALL!" "-We lost it," Ken frowned, and fell back in his seat. Davis fell too... but not on his seat; on the grass.

Later, an Odaiba player had the ball. While he tried to dodge the on-coming opponents, Ken and Davis shouted, "DON'T BICYCLE KICK! DON'T BICYCLE KICK!" The kid foolishly attempted the bicycle kick, slipped, and landed on his back hard. Davis shook his head sternly, "I'm crying no tears."

Their goalie wasn't any better! After one, two, ten, fifteen, thirty-four misses, he just stood there and accepted the fact that he just couldn't block the shots!

Halftime; Tokyo Dragons 40, Odiaba Warriors 3.

Their faces didn't look too thrilled, but judging by their tone of voices, Ken and Davis had the favor of the winning team whole-heartedly: "Let's go, Dra-gons! Clap! Clap! clap-clap-clap! Let's go, Dra-gons! Clap! Clap! clap-clap-clap!" One of their friends came up to them and announced, "While we prepare for our funeral, some of the guys are getting refreshments. You wanna come?" "Sure," Davis replied, and followed his friend.

Davis and his friends were ordering food in one of the many hallways of the stadium. At that time, Ashley made her appearance to Davis. "Hey," she smiled. Davis turned to her and sighed, "Hey." Ashley frowned, "...I'm sorry about the game." "Not your fault," he shook his head; "Hey, you want anything? Soda? Fries?" "No thanks," she politely declined.

"..So, what're you doing here?"

"Watching the game."

"No, I mean, what are you doing HERE? ...At the food stand?"

"Oh! giggle I just wanted to talk, I guess," she shrugged.

"To talk... to me?"

"Yeah!"

"...Why?"

"Well..." she began while blushing a little, "you looked like you could use a friend to talk to. You look really down." Davis smirked, "What was your first clue?" Taken back, Ashley frowned, "I'm sorry." Davis gulped, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I just ...d'I don't know why I said that." He didn't know it, but he started to blush as he hung his head in shame. Ashley saw his face turning red and smiled, "Well, things'll get better, like you said." Davis's face lit up as he turned back to her and asked, "You really think so?" "Yep," she nodded; "and it'll be because of you and Ken. You guys are the best players I ever saw."

Davis grinned proudly, "Wow! You mean it? For real?" Ashley just giggled, which encouraged Davis to giggle as well. Before they knew it, their giggles became a loud chorus of laughter. Then they had to stop and take a breath, and at that point they looked to each other as if to ask, "What were we just talking about?"

They paused, gleaming into each other's eyes. Davis couldn't help but smile, but just then one of his fellow soccer players turned to him and asked, "Yo Davis, if you're gonna get romantic with your girl, you mind getting a room?" Suddenly, Davis blasted, "WHAT? She's not my girl, so shut up!" "Yeah right," joked another teammate; "You're just waiting for us to leave, so you can be all alone with her." "SHUT- UP!" Davis barked defensively. The two boys walked away singing,

"Davis and Ashley,

Sittin' in a tree!

K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Davis shouted at them, "I'm gonna get you guys! You HEAR ME?" He took a breath, and turned to where Ashley was... and he realized she was gone. "Huh?" he gasped, and looked around; "Ash? ....Ashley?" Then he saw her, walking down the hall with her back turned to him. "ASHLEY!" he called out, and started to chase her; "Ash, wait! Hold up!"

"What?" she sternly asked, turning back to him with a sad look on her face. Davis panted, "...why'd you leave?" She frowned, "I heard the game was back on, so I'm going back to my seat." Davis checked his wristwatch; "...The game's not on 'til two more minutes." "Whatever," she huffed, resuming her walk. Davis ran in front of her and asked, "Is it 'cause o' what I said?" "It doesn't matter," she responded in a soft tone, trying to walk around him.

Davis blocked her again; "Yes it does matter. Look, I thought we were friends." "We are friends," she replied. Davis then confronted her sternly; "...But you'd rather we were something else, right?" Ashley walked around him and said, "What I want doesn't matter, it's what you want that does. If you got a problem with us being more than friends, that's fine with me." "Wait," he said, but she insisted, "Nope, it's okay. You better get back to the game soon." With that, she left him standing there.

He frowned, realizing for the first time that she really did like him, and that her feelings were hurt. He tried to think of a way to apologize, when suddenly he heard thunder. Even though there was a ceiling above him, he looked up to the sky anyway; "...Is it supposed to rain tonight?" He shrugged it off and walked back to the playing field, not noticing that Ken was in the line of men waiting to use the restroom.

Cody was walking down a street in his neighborhood, carrying what looked like a heavy bag of groceries. He seemed to be walking a little slow, but he was determined to bring these grocery items home.

Just then, a car drove by, slowed down and stopped at the corner. The passenger window rolled down, and from inside the car popped out the head of a young boy about Cody's age. "Hey, Cody!" the boy called out, making Cody stop in his tracks. Cody turned to him and gasped, "Huh?" The boy asked, "You need a ride? That bag looks heavy." Cody shook his head, "I'm fine. Really." "Are you sure?" asked his concerned friend. Cody gave a nod, "Yeah, my house isn't too far from here." "Oh, okay," replied his friend, and the car drove off.

Cody gave a sigh, just when he heard the sound of rolling thunder. "Hmm?" he hummed, and turned around with his eyes on the sky. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind picked up, dragging with it a cluster of nimbus clouds... At least, they looked like nimbus clouds. Cody glared at the clouds, which were a navy blue color. It was strange; the clouds appeared to be brighter than the night sky. From within the clouds, a flash of light rolled with the thunder. Indeed, it appeared to be a sudden thunderstorm. But there was no rain or lightning, just thunder. Cody just stood there, staring at it.

Yolei was just leaving her father's grocery store. "Bye, Dad," she waved as she walked through the doors. She paused as soon as she came outside. She heard thunder roll out of nowhere. "Huh?" she muttered, looking up. "OH MY GOD!" screamed a voice that seemed to be coming from the other side of the corner. Alarmed, Yolei ran down the street to see what the sudden yell was all about.

Davis emerged from inside the stadium, just ten stairs downward away from the sidelines. He took a deep breath, and without warning he heard a loud BOOM! He jumped in surprise, then tilted his head all the way up, to the sky. He saw clouds snake their way out of the clear blue, as if they were alive and doing it on purpose. Lightning flashed from within the clouds, but the lightning itself stayed hidden.

Cody's eyes bulged in pure shock, as he stared all the longer at the clouds. As he gazed, some cars that were headed in the "storm's" direction skidded to a halt. Cody himself had to get a better look at these clouds... He could've sworn he saw something.

Yolei whipped herself around the corner, to see a gathering of shocked people. "What?" she asked loudly; "What IS it?" "THE SKY!" said a man pointing upward. Yolei looked up... and her jaw dropped.

Davis, as well as everybody else, stopped moving and stared at the clouds. They were getting all the more thick, and the more bunched up they became the lighter they got. Finally, the clouds stopped moving, and all there was to be seen could only be described as... a patch in the sky. The clouds became an illuminated blue patch. And from it, sprung a dragon.

The dragon- as blue as the clouds and with its own inner lightning- snaked across the sky. It seemed to be making a nose dive to the earth, but never went that far. It coiled one way and twisted the other, almost in a ballet-like performance.

Cody ran to the rooftop of a building, as did a few other people. Finally, he got a good look at what those clouds in the sky were shaping out to be. A giant, two-headed tortoise. It was just walking very slowly, as if going somewhere. Cody was utterly speechless, just as the other witnesses were. For a second, however, it almost looked like one of the tortoise heads made a quick glance at him. A glance directly at Cody... and then it kept walking, until it disappeared. All was silent.

Yolei took a few steps back, trying to scream but unable to. In the sky stood a giant tiger, made up of the mysterious clouds that came out of nowhere. The tiger was geared up in steel bracelets and chains, and for one moment it seemed to let out a roar... but it wasn't heard. It almost seemed like an illusion. And just like any normal illusion, it vanished in a blink of an eye.

Once again, the dragon attempted a nose dive, and this time it was successful. People started screaming and running for their lives as the dragon came down on them. It stopped right in front of Davis. They eyed each other, for one brief moment. The dragon and the human stood perfectly still, and their eyes stayed focused. Davis had two eyes. The dragon had four. For a moment, Davis's eyes glared sternly, as if he had no fear of the beast at all. Seemingly impressed, the blue dragon blinked. And like mist, it vanished. Davis took a breath- his first breath in seconds.

Finally, Ken walked out to where Davis was. He paused, and looked at all the shocked faces. He raised an eyebrow, "...Alright... What'd I miss?"

"Gennai!" the boy shouted with excitement, as he and his aging companion stared at the last inscription on the wall; "The crests! Look at them!" Gennai rushed over to the wall that had the crests encrypted in them. To his amazement, the final four crests lit up. The first shimmered in blue; the next gold; the next green, and the last red. "Yes," Gennai nodded; "This is it, Kellen. The age-old battle of good and evil has reached its maximum level. This isn't about just humans and digimon anymore.

"The time has come... for the Digital Keepers."

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Roll Call

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Two: "Roll Call"**

On the 7:45pm train to Odiaba, Ken and Davis were laid back, trying to come up with ways to cheer themselves up after the horrid disappointments that occurred earlier at the game.

Davis, with his arms crossed behind his head and his legs crossed against the seat in front of him, stared at the ceiling with a blank face. Ken, sitting properly, curled up a lock of his hair in his index finger. He looked at it curiously and blurted out, "You think I should get my hair cut?" Davis smirked, "Why? I thought you liked looking like a girl." Ken slowly turned his head to Davis with the look of death in his eyes.

Davis exclaimed, "Oh my God, you have _got _to get a sense of humor! You know what? We still got time before curfew; let's do something fun!" Ken raised an eyebrow; "What'd you have in mind?"

"The arcade?"

"Can't afford it."

"Skateboard renting?"

"Too risky."

"Have you ever gone cow-tipping in the country? My _God_, it's hilarious!"

"We're not gonna take a five-hour train just to tip a bunch of cows."

"Come on, man! Think of something!..."

Davis started babbling about something, but at that point Ken stopped listening to him. With a sigh, he rolled his eyes and looked to the window of the train. He overlooked the beautiful skyline of Odiaba, with its city lights shimmering through the darkness.

When all of a sudden, what looked like a blue-white, hazy-imaged phoenix faded into the sky out of nowhere, floated for about two seconds, then disappeared.

Ken's eyes beamed with shock, which drew Davis's attention. "Hey," Davis asked, "what's wrong?" Ken instantly looked ahead, towards the seat in front of them, and denied in monotone, "Nothing." "Come on," Davis persisted, "what is it?" "Nothing," Ken replied, this time sounding more sure of himself. Davis looked him in the eye and sternly said, "You're hiding something." Ken shook his head, "I'm not hiding anything!"

With that, he looked away with anger and annoyance in his eyes.

Then Davis smiled, "Did you see a monster?" Ken's eyes, still not making contact with Davis's, suddenly lit up, and blew Ken's cover. Davis got a good look at that shocked expression on his friend, and his jaw slowly dropped. "....Oh my God..." he softly replied, ".....you saw it." Ken still denied, "Saw what?" Davis raised his voice, "The dragon!" He pointed to Ken's face and accused, "You saw the dragon, didn't you!?"

Ken whipped his head back to Davis and gasped, "You saw a _dragon_? Where?" "At the game!" Davis nodded; "I didn't say anything 'cause I told everybody else and they didn't believe me." Ken then realized he couldn't hold back the secret anymore, and admitted, "I just saw a giant bird... a phoenix, I think." Davis sighed, "Ah... But it was definitely something, right?"

"Coulda been an illusion," Ken shrugged.

"Or a cloud."

"Or it coulda been a-"

"DIGIMON!" they both shouted in realization.

Cody was getting down from the rooftop, along with a few other people. Just minutes after seeing that giant turtle in the air, he touched the ground and sighed, "Boy, you don't see one of those every day!" Just then, a fellow bystander asked, "..See what?"

Cody's eyes shot with surprise; "...That turtle! Didn't you see it? It just walked across the sky!" Another bystander shook his head, "I don't remember seeing anything... And what am I doing in an alley? I should be getting home!"

Everybody else besides Cody felt the same way, and started leaving. Cody looked around in disbelief, and shook his head, "You all saw it... Didn't you?..."

Next afternoon.

It was Davis's turn to stay after school to clean up the classroom. He was sweeping away at all the trash caused by the latest science project failure, thinking aloud: "Stupid Harry and his stupid experiments... Every time I break something, it's just a window; but NO. He had to go and try to blow up the whole classroom... Gah.."

He picked up the dustpan and with the broom he drove the broken glass, papers and dirt into the pan. He complained under his breath as he dumped all the garbage into the small trash bag.

After he rolled up the bag and tied it up, Davis then made a quick turn, to the small dragon-like creature behind him. He asked politely, "Veemon, could you please put this outside for me?" "Sure thing, Davish!" smiled the little dragon, and did just that. "Thanks," smiled the human.

Once his little friend left dragging the trash bag, Davis took a brief moment to reflect on what just happened. Finally, it hit him like a lightning bolt. His eyes bulged and his jaw dropped; "VEEMON!" "...Davish?" called out the small creature from the hallway.

Davis darted into the hallway, and looked upon his digimon for the first time in years. His mouth hung open, as if he wanted to say something but it refused to come out. The digimon however, was just gleaming at him as innocently and joyfully as he ever did. In his eyes, they never said goodbye.

"...vee-mon..." Davis muttered. Veemon dropped the trash bag, flew his arms in the air and exclaimed, "DAVISH!" He ran and jumped into the arms of his human partner, and they both let out an excited laugh. Davis, nearly in tears, rose his digimon in the air and rejoiced, "I missed you, man!" "Me too," Veemon replied; "It's been a long time."

"Just three years."

"Longer for me. Remember? Time in the digital world is slower than time here."

"Oh yeah... So it _has _been a long time!"

"Eh, just three years," Veemon shrugged.

Davis cuddled him, giggling. Then he gasped, "Wait a sec. Why're you here?" "Oh, yeah!" Veemon remembered; "I came to get you and the othersh!" "Why?" Davis frowned in concern; "What's wrong?"

"It's the digital world," responded a familiar voice. Davis looked up, and there stood Ken... and in his arms was his little green digimon that resembled a caterpillar. Davis gasped, "Wormmon?" "Hi, Davis," said Wormmon; that shaky voice always made it seem like he was sad about something... Only now, he really was.

Ken looked to Davis and frowned, "I guess our job's not done after all." Davis replied, "Is it ever?" With that response, Ken let out a small chuckle.

Wormmon's big blue puppy eyes looked into Ken's as he said, "We didn't mean to come back at a bad time; I hope we're not disturbing you." "Nonsense," Ken answered; "We love helping you guys out when we get the chance." "So what's wrong?" Davis asked Veemon, lowering him to the floor. "Well," Veemon said, "everything was nice until the Shadowmon showed up."

"The who?"

"Wait, we should meet up with the others first."

"The others?"

"Armadillomon, Hawkmon, Yolei and Cody."

"Yolei?" Ken asked, eyes all beaming. Then, to hide his sudden excitement, he added, "..A-and Cody?"

"Why not the older guys?" Davis asked; "Tai? Sora? Matt?" Veemon replied, "The Guardians could only bring four here." "Huh?" responded both humans. Wormmon sighed, "We'll explain later."

"Alright," Davis nodded; "I know where Yolei and Cody are; we've kept in touch over the years. We'll all meet up in the park- the same one where we'd meet up for Odiaba Memorial Day." Ken nodded, "Good idea." Davis and Veemon ran down the hall excitedly, while Ken and Wormmon looked on.

Some time later, hard rock music was blaring throughout the Inoue household. The older siblings were all enjoying it, even when Yolei popped her head out from her bedroom doorway. Her hand was covering the speaker part of her telephone as she angrily called out, "Please turn it down, I am ON-THE-PHONE!"

One of her older brothers called back, "Get a cell phone and talk outside!" They laughed, as she let out an aggravated growl, and slammed her bedroom door shut.

She then talked into the phone, "Sorry; they think they're the only ones that live on this street. What were you saying?"

On the other line, Cody replied, "I said we all saw a digimon last night, and the four of us are gonna meet in the park today."

"You saw the tiger?" she asked, almost excitedly. "No," Cody replied through the phone. Yolei sighed, "Other people saw that tiger, then they forgot all of a sudden." Cody said:

"I saw the tortoise. And Davis saw a dragon, and Ken saw a bird." "A bird?" asked Yolei on the other end of the phone. "Yeah," Cody nodded. "Call me crazy," he continued, "but all this sounds familiar. A dragon, a tiger, a tortoise, and-"

"A phoenix!" Yolei smiled; "They're the Guardians of the digital world! I remember now..."

"So you'll be there at the park today?" Cody smiled. "You bet!" he heard his friend reply. "Oh Yolei, one more thing: Bring a snack or two.. I'm bringing a few friends over." "You mean Ken and Davis," Yolei's voice said.

Cody smiled, and turned to Armadillomon and Hawkmon by his side; "No... I mean friends from out of town. Trust me, you'll like them when you see 'em."

Yolei arrived at the meeting place in a matter of minutes, and as promised she had a backpack with food inside. She sat at a bench, looked around, and let out a small sigh. "There she is!" she heard Davis's voice call out. Alarmed, she turned her head to see where he was, when she suddenly heard, "YOLEI!"

She gasped, recognizing this other voice. Sure enough, Hawkmon flew to her joyfully. She opened her arms instantly and cheered, "HAWKMON!" The little hawk (that looked more like a bald eagle) digimon flew right into her arms, giggling. After a brief moment of cuddling, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I couldn't remember where you lived. So I followed Armadillomon to Cody's house." "Armadillomon?" she asked.

Davis and the rest of her friends came out as he smiled, "And Veemon, and Wormmon, and THE most eligible bachelors in all Japan." Yolei jumped up; "Oh my God, you're all here!" "Not all of us," Veemon admitted; "The others are still waiting in the digital world."

Yolei sat back down, and Ken sat beside her. "What's going on?" she asked, looking concerned. Then she finally noticed Ken sitting beside her and gasped, "OH! Hey, Ken." "Hey," he smiled pleasantly. "Long time, no see," she smiled. "Yeah," he nodded.

Davis crossed his arms, "Alright, enough small talk! Something's definitely wrong in the digital world. Veemon, care to explain?" "Sure thing, Davish!

"Things were just fine for a while. In fact, we had at least two and a half years of fun and relaxing..."

---------- Flashback, Veemon's POV ----------

One evening, in the jungle region of the digital world, a group of digimon were roasting marshmallows by a camp fire. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

_"There were times when we'd even have parties at night. One night in particular, we here having marshmallows... And then, out of nowhere... They showed up..."_

In the distance, something caught Veemon's eye. The other digimon looked too. Suddenly, from the bushes distantly away from the light of the fire, a pair of red eyes started glowing. One pair quickly became two... three... ten. The campfire digimon all stood up alarmed, but what came as a surprise to them was that a group of pitch-black digimon jumped out from the bushes. The dark digimon faced-off against the friendly-looking ones.

_"They looked a little like Gazimon- you know, the rabbit digimon? But these guys were much bigger, and jet black! Their eyes were red, and they had the freakiest smile! Sharp teeth and all... Then they attacked!"_

Just as Veemon's voice over suggests, the Shadowmon jumped at Veemon and his friends. They scattered, one by one.

The yellow dinosaur known as Agumon jumped to a big rock, and was the first to fight back. He released a ball of fire from his mouth like a dragon, and it hit the Shadowmon that was chasing him. However, the fireball didn't seem to bother the Shadowmon at all. Agumon panicked, and before he could attack again he was kicked in the back by another Shadowmon.

The yellow digimon in wolf's clothing called Gabumon attacked with a blue force of energy from his mouth, but it didn't scratch the Shadowmon. He gasped, and was soon surrounded. He was chased to where Agumon and Hawkmon stood. A Shadowmon took the seal-like digimon called Gommamon and used him like a bowling ball. He smacked into his three friends, who fell like bowling pins.

The pink bird named Biyomon took to the air. She tried to shoot her green cyclone attack at the enemies, but it had no effect. One Shadowmon grabbed Armadillomon and rolled him up like a ball. Another took Wormmon and stretched him out like a baseball bat. Armadillomon was pitched and hit by Wormmon, and found himself airborne. He smacked right into Biyomon, and they both fell down hard. The baseball-loving Shadowmon high-fived.

The plant-like one called Palmon shot vines from her arms, but a Shadowmon grabbed them and the he and another Shadowmon started using the vines like a jump rope! Seconds later, they spun Palmon around in the vines, and set her off like a spinning top.

The cat digimon known as Gatomon soon found herself being swung through the trees by the tail. The beetle-like digimon known as Tentomon tried to save her, but a Shadowmon jumped from a tree branch, onto Tentomon's back. Tentomon crashed on his stomach, and the hard shell on his back was soon used as a drum by a Shadowmon.

Patamon, the small digimon that resembled a guinea pig with wings for ears, shook with fear as the Shadowmon set him up like a football, and one of them kicked him like one. He flew over a group of Shadowmon that set themselves up as the goal post, and once Patamon flew over them, all the Shadowmon cheered.

Veemon tried to head-butt one, but was blocked by the Shadowmon's foot. He was upper-cut and fell on his back hard.

_"And that's when we knew they were Championsh!"_

Gatomon soon got an advantage and scratched away at the enemies, but it wasn't enough. The Shadowmon soon had all the innocent digimon surrounded.

_"So we figured, we can digivolve to Champion too, sho we did..."_

One by one, the trapped digimon morphed in a ray of light, and became a larger form of themselves. Except for Gatomon, who was already in Champion mode.

_"But you'll never believe THISH!"_

The Shadowmon grinned with those fanged, crescent-shaped smiles. One by one, they all morphed into huge Ultimates, one different than the other. They all looked like a form of demon: Devimon, IceDevimon, and Devidramon. Normally, those forms would be Champion, but these villains were far from it. Other Shadowmon became LadyDevimon and even MarineDevimon. The poor Champions were helplessly knocked for a loop.

Soon enough, they became weakened and morphed back into Rookies, and were thrown mercilessly down a nearby hill. The fall was a hard one, as they all tossed and tumbled over and into each other. By the time they hit the bottom, they were all in a dirty dog pile, and knocked out cold. In the distance, one could hear the wicked cackles of the Shadowmon.

---------- End flashback ----------

"And that's what happened," Veemon concluded.

Yolei gasped, "That's terrible!" "Who are the Shadowmon?" Davis asked; "Where did they come from?" Veemon shrugged, "No one knowsh. All we know ish that they're bad, and we can't fight 'em." Wormmon added, "That's why we came back. Could you guys please help us?" "Of course we will!" Yolei replied; "Uh... Anybody got any ideas?"

Ken replied, "Well, it sounds like a big challenge, and the four of us might not be enough." "We need the others," Cody nodded. Davis smiled, "Right! We'll call up TK, Kari, and all the guys that saved the digital world before us." "Yolei smiled, "I know everybody's email address; I'll send them the message."

Cody frowned, "Wait. Most of the Digi-Destined are out doing their own thing. Mimi's in America, Joe's working at a hospital, and Matt's got his band." Davis smiled optimistically, "Don't worry about Joe and Mimi just yet. And leave Matt to me and Ken.

"We know where he is..."

(Begin "Prisoner Of Society")

That evening, the teen rock band known as Teenage Wolves just happened to be playing in the city of Tamachi. Since it was Ken's old neighborhood, so it was easy finding their way around there.

Ken and Davis got to the stadium just in time.

Inside, the fans- mostly girls- they were screaming so loud it seemed to be a miracle that one could hear the music playing over all that hollering. They were all jumping around, waving their arms; it looked like an ocean, and it was open season for surfing.

And in the dead center of all this was the stage, and the band.

And right up front for all to see was Matt Ishida.

(Matt sings the lyrics)

_"Well we don't need no one to tell us what to do_

_Oh yes we're on our own, and there's nothing you can do_

_So we don't need no one like you_

_To tell us what to do!_

_We are referred to the past, we've shown 'em what we've done_

_A generation gap means our war is never won._

_The past is in our head_

_The future's in our hands!_

_"'Cause I'm a brat, and I know everything_

_And I talk back, 'cause I'm not listening_

_To a-ny-thing you say!_

_And if you count to three-"_

(backup guys)

_"One- two- three!"_

(Matt)

_"You'll see it's no emergency._

_You see, I'm not the enemy,_

_Just a pris'ner of socie-ie-ie-iety!_

Ken and Davis were seated in the far, far back of the stands. Fortunately, they were at a high level so they could get a good look at the stage. Jokingly, Ken asked Davis, "Should we tell 'em this song's a re-make?" Davis smiled back, "...Nah, let 'im have his moment." He and Ken busted out laughing.

(Matt)

_"Well we don't need no one to tell us what to do_

_Oh yes we're on our own and there's nothing you can do_

_'Cause we don't need no one like you_

_To tell us what to do!_

_"'Cause I'm a brat, and I know everything_

_And I talk back, 'cause I'm not listening_

_To a-ny-thing you say!_

_And if you count to three-"_

(backup guys, and also by Ken and Davis just for fun)

_"One- two- three!"_

(Matt)

_"You'll see it's no emergency._

_You see, I'm not the enemy,_

_Just a pris'ner of socie-ie-ie-iety!_

_"GO!"_

Meanwhile, Yolei was keeping her side of the deal. As Cody and the digimon looked on curiously, Yolei typed up a message on her laptop:

Attention, Digi-Destined! The digital world needs our help again. Please email me back for more information.

-Yolei.

Send.

Like wildfire, the message spread to all of the Digi-Destined that it could. First, the Kamiya residence, and Kari just happened to be online at the time! She immediately called for her brother, Taichi.

Next to get the message was Koushiro Izumi. "Izzy" as his friends called him not only emailed back, he found a way to get to Joe Kido's beeper at the hospital.

Soon enough, Joe was on the phone with Izzy, ready to discuss everything.

The message also went to Sora Takenouchi, who immediately forwarded it to Matt's brother, Takeru "TK" Takaishi.

TK was in his house at the time, watching television. But fortunately he accidentally left the computer on, and he heard it announce that he had mail.

Meanwhile, back at the concert...

(Matt)

_"Well we don't need no one to tell us what to do_

_Oh yeah, we are on our own, and there's nothing you can do_

_So we don't need no one like you_

_To tell us what to do!_

_We are referred to the past, we've shown 'em what we've done_

_A generation gap means our war is never won_

_So we don't need no one like you to tell us what to do!_

At this point, Davis was waving a lighter in the air; all in fun of course.

(Matt)

_"'Cause I'm a brat, and I know everything_

_And I talk back, 'cause I'm not listening_

_To a-ny-thing you say!_

_And if you count to three,_

_"You'll see it's no emergency._

_You see, I'm not the enemy,_

_Just a pris'ner of society!_

_Society!_

_Society!_

_Society..!"_

The crowd was on the floor, and the screams got all the louder- amazingly. Matt and his band took their bows and so forth, and while he did so, he looked up.

Apparently, Davis and Ken made their way through the crowd, and were easy to spot by Matt. Once he saw them, and they knew it, they waved. Matt let out a small smirk, and waved back.

Almost three hours later, Matt was leaning against the trailer truck of his band, while Davis and Ken were talking to him. "...So you came all the way out here to let me know we gotta save the digital world, huh?" Matt smiled. Davis nodded, "We got almost everybody already. We got Tai, Kari, TK, Joe-"

"Did you get Mimi?" Matt asked suddenly. Ken shook his head, "No, she never emailed back. But she's in America, so it's probably too early in the morning for her." "Right," Matt smiled.

His attention was soon drawn to the screaming girls in the background; "OH MY GOD, IT'S MATT ISHIDA! AAAHHH!" "Oh no!" Matt yelled; "Quick, guys! In the van, NOW!" All three boys darted into the van, just seconds before it was swarmed on the outside by young female fans.

While the van was starting to rock back and forth, Matt giggled, "Sorry 'bout that, boys; I shoulda known better than to be standing around in public." Davis, having a seat nearby, smiled, "This is awesome, dude! I don't care if get famous for being Digi-Destined, but being a rock star must kick butt!"

Matt shook his head, "It's crazy, man. I knew it would be, but I always thought I'd be able to handle it." "Right," Ken nodded; "'Cause you're one of the most stable guys around." "...Stable?" Matt grinned; "You really think I'm stable?" Ken asked, "Aren't you?" Matt bowed his head, almost humbled, and sighed, "I'm not as stable as most of my friends..."

He then looked to a nearby window, which was curtained on the outside by fans, and he said, "When we go back to the digital world, I'm gonna finally relax from all this." Davis shook his head, "I doubt everybody'll be glad to go back." "Who wouldn't?" Ken wondered. Matt thought it over, "Joe, maybe... No...

"No, you know who'd really have to get used to going back? Mimi!"

(Begin "Bootylicious" as a background song)

New York City, next afternoon.

It was on a beautiful Saturday, the best time to go to the Mall. And Mimi Tachikawa did just that.

In her white, thick, high-heeled sandals, she paraded the mall wearing a pink skirt, a white tank top under a red, nicely-knotted shawl, and a cute tan cowboy hat with a black strap. Her hair was in its natural tan color, and in the style it was in when she was much younger; halfway pulled up in a bun.

Accompanied by several other teen girls, they raided each and every clothing store. Then they moved on to shoes, jewelry. And at one point, they stopped at a fountain into which people were tossing their coins. Mimi and a few other girls moved on, but one girl stayed, ready to steal some of those coins. But then Mimi came up from behind her and pulled her away.

(song fades out)

That evening, Mimi came back home with Michael, a fellow Digi-Destined she met just a couple years ago. They were giggling as they came through the door, as if they just got back from having the time of their lives. And they did; "Oh man," Mimi laughed, "I almost fell outta that ride! Did you see me?" "I told you to make sure the safety belt was secure," her friend giggled.

Just then, they heard a woman's voice from the kitchen, "Is that you, Mimi and Michael?" "Yeah, mom!" Mimi called back. "How was the carnival?" her mother's voice asked. Michael smiled, "It was great! Thanks for letting us go." Mimi sat down on her comfortable couch, while Michael stood at the door.

"Well," he said in an almost timid tone, "I guess I better go-" "Wait," Mimi smiled warmly. She then patted the cushion next to hers and invited, "Sit here." Michael paused, but then smiled, "Okay." As requested, he sat down beside his best friend on the couch.

She sighed, "So..." "So..." he copied, as his eyes started to wander around the room. Mimi smiled, "I had a great time, Michael." "Me too," he smiled back. He didn't notice it, but she started blushing a little, and looked away shyly as she continued, "Umm... I was wondering something."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... We've been going out to a few places for a while now, right?"

"...R-right...?"

She sighed, "And I think it's great. I mean... We're friends and all, but-"

"But? There's a but?"

"No no, it's a good but!" After realizing how that sentence came out, she covered her mouth and gasped, "I mean- I.. See, the thing is-"

Michael let out a confident giggle, "I knew what you meant."

"Sorry," she smiled as her face turned red. Then while scooting over to the table next to her side of the couch, she said, "I was just thinking, if we like going out together, and we enjoy each other's company, Uh.. Well..." "Well what?" he asked curiously. She cleared her throat, "Hold on. I.. I can't do this alone."

He raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

In response, she turned to the little radio on the table beside her, and pushed "play" on the CD player.

(Begin song "At Last")

Michael wasn't stupid; he knew exactly where this was going. He showed his sudden intimidation by having his eyes bulge slightly, and gulped. Mimi looked him in the eyes, with hers gleaming confidently.

_"At last_

_My love has come along..."_

"Well," she said, finally sounding brave, "don't you think that maybe, just maybe, we like each other as more than friends?"

_"My lonely days are over_

_And life is like a song..."_

"Uhh..." Michael tried to pry words out of his mouth, but it was no use. His jaw just sat there, stiffened. "I didn't wanna scare you or anything," Mimi admitted, "It's just that... Well.. I like you!"

_"Oh yeah, at last_

_The skies above are blue..."_

"I like you too, Mimi," Michael nodded; "But I..." Mimi frowned.

_"My heart is wrapped up in clover..."_

Michael shrugged, "I don't know- I'm not sure..."

_"The night I looked at you."_

Michael added, "I mean, I.. I don't know if I feel any different than how I feel about you as a friend. I mean, you're a great person!" "...And?" Mimi grinned, almost batting her eyes.

_"I found a dream that I can speak to_

_A dream that I can call my own.."_

"And," Michael continued, "...And you're smart.. and funny... and pretty..... Very pretty." Mimi rolled her eyes coyly, "Oh, go on." Michael giggled, feeling a little more confident.

_"I found a thrill to rest my cheek to_

_A thrill that I've never known_

_Oh..."_

Mimi then moved closer to Michael, while he was trying hard not to move backwards. Mimi smiled, "I was just thinking, 'cause you and me... I mean you're one of my best friends. And, well we're both special, 'cause we're Digi-Destined." "Yeah," he nodded.

_"You smile, you smile_

_Oh and then the spell was cast_

_And here we are in Heaven..."_

Mimi got just a little closer to him, almost making it seem like she was going to attempt to kiss him. She said, "There's really no harm or shame in trying the next step... Right?" Michael briefly thought about it, "...umm..."

_"For you are mine..."_

(Record scratch)

Suddenly, Mimi's mother ran into the room, absolutely killing the mood. She announced, "Oh Mimi, I accidentally went online under your name, and you got an email from one of your friends in Japan." Mimi gasped, "What?"

"I'll see you guys there; I'm almost done my shift," said Joe, speaking into his cell phone. He stood in the hallway of the hospital in his white doctor uniform. He seemed like he was a professional... but he wasn't there yet.

On the other line, Sora spoke, "We just got word that Mimi got the message. We'll find out soon enough when she'll be here." Joe smiled, "And then we can all have a nice happy reunion?" "We hope so," Sora replied.

Joe wondered, "So what are you guys doing ahead of time?" Sora explained, "Well, not everybody got all together just yet. Davis Ken and Matt are together, I'm at Yolei's with Cody, and Tai, TK, and Kari will be at Izzy's house tomorrow.

The next afternoon, Izzy rolled out a big piece of paper on the dining room table, making Tai ask, "What's that?" Izzy answered, "It's a map of the digital world. I decided to try and open up one of the old gates on the computer that let us get to it. None of the gates work anymore; however, we can still see the overview look. So I just printed it out."

"How are we supposed to get there if the gates don't open?" Tai shrugged. "I don't know," Izzy replied; "but if the digimon got here, there's gotta be a way..."

He then turned his attention to the map and continued, "Perhaps the reason as to why we can't go in through the computer is because of the changes made on the map." Tai asked in concern, "...What kind of changes?" Izzy gave a nod, "A few suttle ones.

"Like this: File Island is a lot larger now, the continent of Folder moved further East, and... lessie, I know I saw a big one- Oh! Here it is!" His index finger pointed at what seemed to be the middle of an ocean. Tai raised an eyebrow, "There's nothing there." Izzy replied sternly, "That's where Primary Village used to be." Tai's mouth fell open.

At Yolei's house, Sora hung up her cell phone and happily announced, "Mimi's coming over!" "YAAAY!" cheered her company. Ken smiled, "When can she get here?" Sora replied, "Oh, she'll be on a plane that'll arrive here at approximately... eight forty, at least. And Izzy says Joe doesn't get done work 'til nine. So it looks like we'll all reunite about ten-thirtyish."

Just then, Yolei got an email. She checked it out, and announced, "That's Davis. He says Veemon and Armadillomon found out where the portal to the digital world's gonna open." "Where?" Sora asked. Yolei read more of the message and gasped, "...Where it all started!"

This was the place where, almost seven years ago, the original seven Digi-Destined were at camp. It was also where they came in contact with the digital world and digimon for the first- correction, second time. And now it was the place with the last known loop hole that would send them- all twelve- to their new destined adventure.

Tai and Izzy got there first, quickly followed by Kari and TK. They stopped to look around briefly, at the starry night sky that almost illuminated the trees, and the temple that was just a few steps ahead of them. When suddenly-

"IZZY!" Yolei cheered, and ran up to him and gave him a hug. "How's it going?" Izzy smiled. "Great," Yolei nodded, "and look! Hawkmon and Armadillomon are here too." "That's awesome," Izzy smiled, when suddenly Tai commented, "Not as awesome as me!"

They all turned around and saw Tai TK and Kari behind them. "Tai! TK! Kari!" Cody cheered. Kari hugged Cody and laughed, "Hey, Cody... Wow, you've grown!" "Yeah," blushed Cody; "just a little."

Kari then knelt down to the digimon, and while hugging them she cheered, "Hawkmon! Armadillomon!" "Hi!" they both giggled.

Then out of nowhere, Joe arrived. "JOE!" they all cheered. "Hey," he waved. He then pointed to Izzy and joked, "Hey, Koushiro!" "Ay!" Izzy smiled, acting offended; "It's Izzy, if you don't mind." "I was kidding," Joe replied. Izzy winked, "I know."

"Aw, look at this," someone said. They all turned to see Sora as she smiled, "This is all so touching, it's making me sick!" "SORA!" cheered the other girls. They all hugged, and Sora smiled to the boys, "Guys." "Hey, Sora!" Tai smiled; "You look great." Sora smiled back, "All you guys look the same, it's amazing."

Yolei noticed that TK had his arm around Kari's waist... "Hey, Kari." Yolei's eyes lit up, "Hey, are you two an item now?" Kari blushed, "Well... Sorta, but we're still really good friends." "Just closer," TK added. "Oh boy," Yolei grinned.

"You okay, Yolei?" Cody asked. Yolei nodded, "Oh yeah, I'm fine! ...I just don't wanna think what Davis is gonna think when he comes." Cody looked away, and giggled, "Well, here's your chance." They all turned, and smiled as Ken, Davis, Veemon, Wormmon, and Matt all walked up to them.

Individually, they made their greetings:

"Matt!" TK cheered, and gave his brother a big hug.

"TK, you sight for sore eyes! How's Mom?"

"Good. How's Dad?"

"A little freaked about that virus that happened at the TV station, but I think we figured it out. He's okay now."

"Ken! How are ya?"

"Doing good, thanks Sora."

"Hey, Matt!"

"Hey, Cody. Hey, Kari!"

"Hi, Matt. Hey, Ken."

"Hey, Kari-"

"THOSE ARE MY GOGGLES!"

"COME AND GET 'EM, OLD MAN!" They laughed out loud and shook hands;

"How're you doing, Davis?"

"Great. Good to see you too, Tai."

"Thanks."

All of a sudden, things got quiet. Matt and Sora started staring at each other. Each one was smiling, but there was something about their posture that made them look unsettled. Yolei noticed it first; "What's wrong, Sora? I thought you and Matt were still going out." Matt looked away, with his smile fading. "Well," explained Sora, "we've basically reached that part of our relationship where we wanna take a break... Isn't that right, Matt?" "Yeah, sort of," Matt softly answered.

Yolei gasped, "You guys didn't break up, did you?" Tai shook his head; "Oh, Yolei..." She did have a tendency to run at the mouth, whether she meant to or not.

But Matt turned to her and answered calmly, "When my band started to get really famous, we didn't know what that was gonna do to me and Sora. It's not that I don't like her, or that she doesn't like me. We just wanna wait 'til things get a little less hectic in my career, that's all." "Yeah," Sora nodded, giving him a weak smile.

Yolei guessed, "...so it's been a while since you two-" "Went out. Yes," Matt nodded. Tai then rested his hand on Yolei's shoulder and smiled, "Okay, we'll have the film at eleven. Let's all just go out somewhere and have a good time!" "Yeah," responded most of them.

Davis giggled a bit, then looked to Kari. She looked the same since the last they saw each other, only now she was slightly taller. Her dungaree overalls pink T-shirt and white dress shoes, however, made her look like she was still eleven. He smiled to her, "Hey, Kari."

Kari saw him in his yellow button-down shirt with blue Hawaiian-style floral patterns over a white T-shirt and dark blue shorts that seemed a little too big on him, and those army green Timberlands and the dark brown, black-lined bicycle gloves on his hands; he looked like he was trying to look older.

She giggled; "Hi, Davis. You doing okay?" "Great!" he said, jumping to her side. She asked, "So, school's good?" Davis admitted, "Oh, the classes are alright, but the soccer team sucks. Fortunately, Ken and me go to the same school, and we try to make it better." "Good," she smiled politely.

Finally, Davis looked over and saw TK on the other side of Kari.. and his arm was still wrapped around her waist. "WOAH!" Davis cried out, jumping back in surprise. He then took a good look at Tk, then the arm, then Kari, and gasped, "Woah, hold up! ...Hold up, what's this?" "What's what?" TK asked, acting like he didn't know. Davis glared at him, "So... So you two are together?"

Yolei muttered, "Okay, here we go."

TK smirked, "We've gone out once or twice, but we're not an official couple, if you know what I mean." Davis looked a little relieved, but he frowned, "Why doesn't anybody tell me these things?" Yolei called out, "'Cause it's none of your business!"

"Excuse me..." a familiar female voice came out of nowhere. They all turned, and there stood Mimi. She smiled, "I'm from out of town; is this where the Digi-Destined should be?" They all laughed and each one gave her a hug and a "Hi. Mimi! We missed you!" "I've missed you all too," she giggled.

Davis did the counting: "...Tai, Matt, Joe, Yolei, Ken, Cody, Mimi, TS-"

"That's TK," replied the young blonde.

Davis just kept going; "Sora, Kari, Izzy... and me! The gang's all here!" "Perfecto!" cheered Yolei. "Prodigious!" Izzy smiled. "Alright!" Tai cheered.

"Well done," said a bass voice that thundered behind them. They all jumped out of their skin, and turned around. There they were. The four giant beasts in the sky.

There stood the dragon. It's blue-shaded, snake-like body was so long, that even if it coiled twenty different times there was no sign of its tail. It seemed to be chained, and the chains wrapped around the body in an almost comfortable-looking way. It also has a series of wings, each pair about fifty feet away from each other. The beast has only four visible arms, with bird-like talons on the end of them. Its face was covered in a dark blue mask, with gold stripes and six horns. From its mouth started an old man's beard, longer than Father Time's.

Next to him stood the phoenix. It was shaded in red, with six pairs of wings. The feathers were mostly red, which faded to yellow to look like fire. The torso resembled that of a scaly red dragon, and on its black neck were floating red orbs, seemingly resembling a necklace.

Next to him stood the tiger. He stood boldly with giant shackles on his legs. His jaw shown iron fangs that were perked backwards. His tail had a ring with spikes on it. And like the phoenix, he had a ring of golden orbs, but the ones he had were wrapped around his stomach.

Next to him stood the tortoise. It had two massive heads, shaded in gold and brown. On its shell was a tree, which towered above all other visible forms. The ring of orbs that the tortoise had were wrapped around the tree trunk.

The Digi-Destined just stood there, staring for what seemed like forever, in awe. Finally, TK blinked. He recognized the dragon. His timid voice blurted out, "Azulongmon..." Suddenly, the dragon, whose mouth was covered by its beard and therefore invisible, spoke in a pleasant yet thunderous voice: "You are correct, sir!"

Tai then turned to TK and gasped, "You KNOW him?" TK pointed to the dragon and admitted, "I've seen him once before. He guards the digital world."

The phoenix then replied graciously, "We are the Four Holy Beasts who guard different sides of the digital world. I am Zhuqiaomon, Guardian of The South." The tortoise then added, "I am Ebonwumon, Guardian of The North." The tiger then added, "I am Baihumon, Guardian of The West." Finally the dragon nodded, "And I am Azulongmon, Guardian of The East."

Matt took a step back with a look of disbelief, while his little brother remembered, "Azulongmon, you told us that you and the other guardians were sealed away by The Dark Masters. How did the rest of you break out?" "By the power of the digi-mentals," responded the phoenix.

"The digi-mentals, which gave your digimon the power to become armor digimon from their rookie forms, were used two by two to free each of us," said the turtle; "The digi-mentals of Knowledge and Sincerity released me." The phoenix added, "The digi-mentals of Courage and Love released me." The tiger added, "And the digi-mentals of Friendship and Reliability released me." The dragon nodded, "And after I was released by the power of Light and Hope, the four of us have regained our rightful place, as Guardians of the digital world."

"...Okay," Tai sighed, "so... What's new?" "Shadowmon," replied the tiger sternly. "Yes," nodded the dragon; "they are the sign we were waiting for." "What sign?" asked Sora, growing all the more concerned. The phoenix replied, "Shadowmon are un-natural digimon. They were created by someone who is on the side of evil, and they are getting stronger by the minute. We fear that their appearance is to announce the beginning of the greatest battle of good against evil the digital world will ever face."

"Really?" Joe asked. The dragon replied in an almost calm manner, "Oh, it happens all the time; it's a never-ending cycle. Ever notice how your adventures in the digital world just keep getting worse, and your enemies stronger?" They all thought it over briefly and nodded, "Uh-huh/ Yeah/ Mm-hmm." "Well," the tortoise said, "this time we have reached the pinnacle of this war. We need you, Digi-Destined, to guard The Digital Keepers."

"WHO?" asked all the young men and women. The Guardians looked to each other, as to ask themselves "Okay, who should break it to them?" The dragon then looked to them and replied, "Children, there is more to the digital world than you know. It has an inner power, broken into three parts. Those parts are known as The Digi-Keepers. It is they who give life to our world, and now they are being called forth to fight the greatest of evil, by themselves."

"Wait! Wait a minute! Hold up!" Matt called out; "I don't understand... Digi-_Keepers_? What is that?" The tiger sighed, "We cannot fully explain them. All we know is that they need you. Now."

All the humans looked to each other, exchanging confused faces. Tai then spoke up, "Okay, lemmie get this straight... These Digi-Keepers- whatever they are- are on our side, and they need our help. Right?" "Right," nodded the Guardians. "Why don't _you_ help them?" Matt glared at them. The dragon explained calmly, "Our place is beyond the boundaries. We are meant to seal off any who try to break in or out of the digital world, so that the evil that is plaguing it will not sneak into other dimensions." "We are doing our part," the tiger added; "We only ask that you do yours."

Davis then stepped forward and questioned, "...It was you all along, wasn't it? ...That virus... We all thought something was wrong with our computers and TVs, but it was you!" "Yes," nodded the tortoise; "We were simply making a new loop hole for you all to enter into our world. That 'virus' as you call it was just a brief reaction to it."

"And that's how WE got here!" Veemon smiled to Davis. "Ah!" Davis smiled back; "It all makes sense now!"

"No it doesn't!" Matt argued. "Relax, Matt," smiled his younger brother.

"All will be explained in time," the dragon calmly said; "Come, we must get you to the digital world. Are you ready?" "Almost," Izzy admitted. "What do you mean almost?" Matt asked. Izzy replied, "Well, I'm not sure exactly how long we'll be there. I mean, has time in the digital world changed?" "Indeed it has," replied the tiger. "I thought so," Izzy said; "I've seen the changes made on the map, and if this adventure's going to be as big as I think, everything we know about the digital world is out of whack. Even time."

Davis gasped, "So wait... We could be there for days... Weeks! Our parents are gonna FLIP!" "Especially mine!" Mimi feared. Tai paused, then said, "Our parents understand who we are. They know that no matter what, we've got everything under control, and that we'll be back. It might take a while... But we'll come back." "Yeah," Davis nodded. "I hope so..." Mimi muttered in concern.

"Then let the battle for our world begin!" announced the dragon. Just like that, the Guardians disappeared like mist, and a great light shone in the sky, like a sunspot. The humans and digimon all stared at it in wonder, and before they knew it they found themselves weightless.

Some seemed to panic, but the rest just gasped. "What's happening?" Joe gasped; "This isn't the way back, is it?" "Relax, Joe!" Tai smiled; "We're just floating; unless you're airsick." Joe smiled, "No no... I'm fine, I'm alright. I.. I just thought getting to the digital world would be E-E-A-A-SIER-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R!!!"

They all started screaming as soon as they were suddenly shot through the air, as if out of a cannon. They darted toward the loop hole that was glowing in the air, and once they went through it, it closed up and vanished. All fell silent in the real world.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Commence Digital Armageddon

_"Almost three years have went by since we've last seen any digimon, and now after so long we've been called back. First it was Davis, Ken, Yolei and Cody who saw spirits in the sky; next they found their digimon! So they got together to rally up the whole gang. We found ourselves back in the camp site where it all got started, where we were introduced to the Guardians of the digital world. Finally, we're going back to a whole-new adventure. Wish us luck!"_

_-Tai_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Three: "Commence Digital Armageddon"**

The afternoon sky was suddenly ripped apart by a flash of light. From the light, a portal opened up for a brief moment, then disappeared again as if nothing happened. But from that split-second light in the air, twelve humans and four digimon emerged. And they were falling as fast as comets, towards the earth of the digital world.

"AAAAHHH! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" screamed the tallest of the humans. "Joe, relax!" Davis called back; "We're probably gonna land at a soft spot!" Matt argued, "Yeah, but that soft spot's like FIVE THOUSAND MILES BELOW US!"

Yolei grabbed the legs of her feathered digimon and screamed, "SAVE ME, HAWKMON! FLY!" Flapping his wings like crazy, Hawkmon replied, "I'm sorry, Yolei, but you're just too heavy!" Then she roared, "ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT!?" "NO!" he gasped, "NOT AT ALL!"

Davis then smiled, "That's it! Veemon, digivolve to Champion!" Veemon smiled, "Alright!"

Hawkmon nodded, "Yes, good thinking!"

"Wait for me!" Wormmon called out.

The three Rookies then took deep breaths, and auroras started glowing around each of them...

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

(As the television series suggests, the D-3s summon the power of this digivolution)

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO................................EXVEEMON!"

"HAWKMON, DIGIVOLVE TO............................AQUILAMON!"

"WORMMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...........................STINGMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

ExVeemon, now a full-fledged adult version of his Rookie form, darted for Davis, Cody and Armadillomon. He caught each of them in his bulky arms.

Aquilamon, the gigantic bull-horned eagle, swooped down and let Yolei, Sora, Mimi, Matt and Kari land on his back. In his talons he caught Joe and Izzy.

Stingmon, the giant locust-turned-pro-wrestler, grabbed Ken in one arm and TK in the other.

"HEY!" screamed the panicked Tai, who was still falling; "WHAT ABOUT ME!?" "HANG ON!" cried out Ken, as Stingmon made a nose dive toward Tai. Once he was close enough, Tai grabbed a hold of Stingmon's two-toed foot.

"Whew!" ExVeemon sighed; "That was a close one!" "I'll say," Tai replied nearby; "I almost lost my life back there." "I almost lost my lunch," Joe moaned softly. Armadillomon smiled optimistically, "We're fine, that's all that matters. Now let's get to the ground!"

"Landing gear down," announced Aquilamon. He glided downwards, to the open field of grass below. The speed he was coming down in made the grass and trees flow, as if a hurricane had started up. Joe and Izzy held on tight as his talons opened up and drilled into the ground. The huge eagle skidded for a second or two, but made a safe landing.

The next to land was Stingmon. His humanoid body made it easy for him to maneuver through the air without the use of air currents. His lightning-quick wing flapping slowed down, and once he perched himself on a big rock, they came to a sudden halt.

ExVeemon, whose body was built like Stingmon's and whose wings were built similar to Aquilamon's, made the last landing. He started to glide, but then stopped in mid air so he can land on his feet. When he did, he caused a small tremor in the ground.

Then Davis made a jump out of the dragon-like digimon's arms, landed on his own two feet and smiled proudly, "And _that_ is how you make an entrance!"

Everybody else climbed down from whichever digimon they rode, and some dusted themselves off. Finally, Tai started to walk a bit and took a good look around. "Wow..." he muttered; "...We must be near the jungle; lookit all the trees."

Mimi stretched and sighed, "...Oh boy, it's been a long time! Does anybody know where we are?" "Nothing looks familiar to me," Yolei replied. Izzy then knelt down, and from his backpack he pulled out a laptop. Nearby, TK laughed, "Just like old times, right Izzy?" Izzy smiled, "I thought we might need this."

He then opened up a file and said, "I've mapped out the digital world as much as I could, just to see where we were going... It looks like a lot has changed since the last time we were here." "Why?" TK asked. Izzy shook his head, "I don't know. I can't even tell where we are now; most of the digital world's continents are jungles."

Mimi gasped, "Jungles?" "But what about the cities?" Sora wondered. Izzy, still focused on the computer screen, answered, "Well, there are a couple cities, but most of them are on the shores." "...That's odd," Tai said. Matt, looking at the forest, guessed, "Maybe it's 'cause of those Digital... What are they called again?" "Digi-Keepers?" Izzy remembered. "R-ight," Matt nodded, still looking a little miffed about that idea.

Yolei sat down by a rock and let out a sigh. Ken walked up to her and politely asked, "You okay?" Yolei nodded, "Oh yeah, I'm fine. But what are we gonna do now? We're lost." ExVeemon smiled, "Don't worry, the others'll be here soon!" "Yeah," added Armadillomon, "those guys were told to meet us at this place."

Cody turned to his yellow digimon and asked, "Then you know where we are?" The armadillo replied calmly, "Absolutely... no idea." All the humans moaned. "But I can signal them," ExVeemon said excitedly.

He then jumped on top of the largest boulder, and called forth, "EX LASER!"

From the "X" on his torso shot a beam of light, which he aimed to the sky. Like a comet, it flew through the air. Davis cheered, "Yeah! That'll get their attention!" Aquilamon then frowned, "It'll also get the attention of Shadowmon." Stingmon turned to him and added, "Which is why we should stay in Champion mode, just in case they show up again."

Matt sat comfortably on a nearby boulder and started to relax. The look in his eyes indicated that his mind was wandering. "Hmm..." he hummed to himself. "There's a familiar sound," joked his younger brother, who sat beside him. Matt looked to TK and smiled, "You excited to be back?" "Who wouldn't be?" TK answered.

Matt then looked ahead and frowned, "I don't know... I mean, I'm not sure about all this. Digi-Keepers? Shadowmon? It's like every time we come back here, it's something else all-new and worse than before." "Relax," TK insisted; "Things'll get better when our digimon show up."

Matt added, "Well, it just seems like this is being done on purpose." Confused, TK asked, "What's being done on purpose?" Matt shook his head, "Forget about it. Let's just wait for our other friends to get here."

An hour went by, but it felt like two or more. The older humans were gathered together, eating lunch. The ever-resourceful Joe had packed a picnic blanket, and sitting on it were the likes of Tai, Sora, Matt, Izzy (still at his laptop) and Joe himself.

"Where'd Mimi go?" Sora wondered. Matt, after taking another sip of his soda can, replied, "She said she'd go off to look around. I honestly didn't think she was the nature-loving type."

Izzy suddenly looked up and informed his friends, "Even as we speak, more cities are being built around the shorelines. Not only that, but there's a big mountain range just a couple miles from here that's still growing. It's as if the digital world is evolving while we're here."

"What about the digimon?" Joe blurted out; "We haven't seen any new ones since we came here, and the forests are usually flooded with them." Izzy checked the laptop again and assumed, "They all must be gathering at the shores." Tai smiled, "It must be the longest Boardwalk in history!"

Sora giggled, then turned and saw the younger Digi-Destined kids all gathered at a tree. She wondered, "What are those guys doing?" Matt replied, "They said they're 're-kindling their bond,' but they're really just asking each other some stupid questions."

"If we call them goose bumps, what do geese call them?" Davis joked, making the others laugh.

Then Yolei raised her hand and announced, "I got one! Why do they call them TV sets if you only get one?"

The others giggled, then Cody smiled, "If vegetable oil is made out of vegetables and vinegar oil is made out of vinegar, than what's baby oil made out of?" "AAWWWW! GROSS!" the others laughed.

"You turn, Ken!" Davis elbowed his buddy. Ken shook his head, "I don't have any. "Aw," frowned the disappointed Kari; "I'm sure you know at least one." TK egged on, "Yeah, come on Ken. I thought you were some kind of genius." Ken shook his head, "I _was_... Not anymore."

Then he scratched his itchy nose. Davis noticed it and suddenly asked, "You wanna rumble?" Ken whipped his head around and gasped, "What?" Davis nodded, "When you scratch your nose it means you wanna rumble."

"What!?"

"And if your palms are itchy, it means you're gonna get money."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"My sister."

Ken blurted out sternly; "You're sister's a ditz."

Suddenly, all his friends were laughing out loud. Surprised, Ken shrugged, "What? ...She IS!" "I KNOW!" Davis busted a gut; "...It's just the way you said it! I TOLD you you were funny, man!" He patted his friend's shoulder in congratulations, and the others applauded. Ken just sighed.

"HERE THEY COME!" roared ExVeemon out of nowhere. His eyes were focused on the horizon, to which all eyes turned. The humans all got to their feet and ran to the grassy hill that would lead them to an open field. They could all see them coming now. The rest of the digimon team.

Two by two, the digimon jumped into the arms of his or her digimon partner... all but one.

"Tai! You're here!"

"Agumon! It's so great to see you again!"

"SORA!"

"BIYOMON! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too..."

"Hey, Matt! Long time no see, eh old buddy?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Gabumon; life's been busy."

"I understand."

"Looking sharp as ever, Tentomon."

"Thanks Izzy; I've been staying in shape as best I could. Do I look slimmer to you?"

"Uh..."

"Joe, you cut your hair!"

"Yep."

"...'Bout time!"

"Wha-? Gommamon!"

Gommamon just giggled.

"Kari!"

"Gatomon!"

"TK!"

"Patamon!"

"MIMI! .........Mimi?" Palmon looked left and right, but no sign of her human partner. She looked to Sora with her glossy green eyes, "...Did Mimi stay in America?" "No no," Sora smiled; "she's just wandering around in the woods. Come on, I'll help you find her." She took Palmon's hand/branch and led the way into the unknown.

Matt was right; Mimi was not usually the nature-loving type. Especially with her new life in New York, her world revolves around sky scrapers and shopping malls and lights that turn night into day.

But as she wandered further into the woods, looking at the giant flowers and towering trees, she was beginning to feel a bit of serenity. It was quiet, just the way she liked things to be. The air was cool enough; not too hot or cold. She stopped by a small babbling brook and took a nice deep breath. No air pollution. It was riveting.

A small butterfly with golden wings fluttered by, and as it did so it almost ran into Mimi's face. She couldn't help but giggle and watched it dance through the air and into the distance. That's when she started hearing the voice. Mimi gasped and looked around in surprise, hearing some strange new voice- a female voice- humming a soft, pleasant tune. Like a lullaby...

That's when she noticed the patch of sunlight that somehow made its way through the tree branches above. It was just enough light for the tiny sapling tree that stood in the middle of a vast space. Mimi stared at it in awe, still hearing the soft lullaby.

The baby tree's trunk and branches kind of resembled a banzai tree, but its leaves and flowers were different. The leaves looked like tiny oak leaves, and on top of them were small white flowers. It's as if it was just budding its leaves in the middle of springtime.

"Mimi?" a familiar voice called out. Mimi stopped hearing the humming and started hearing her friend Sora calling her. "Sora!" she called back, and that's when she saw Sora, Biyomon and Palmon running to her. "MIMI!" cheered the plant-like digimon. Mimi, just as ecstatic, ran to her digimon partner; "PALMON!" They embraced, happier than ever.

"I was worried you weren't coming," the little Rookie sniffled. Mimi shook her head, "It's okay, I'm here now." Sora crossed her arms, "Where were you, Mimi?" Mimi blinked innocently, "...I dunno. I.. I was just wandering around, and I heard this beautiful singing... and I saw this tree-"

Suddenly, the small beetle known as Tentomon buzzed in out of nowhere and yelled in terror, "Girls! Girls, you gotta come back with us!" Mimi blinked, "Wha..? What's going on?" Tentomon replied, still scared, "It's the Shadowmon! They found us!"

Mimi Sora and the digimon all ran out into the open field, where their friends were. That's when they saw... _them._

The humans stood there in a line, gazing at the new creatures before them. They were six feet tall, and with their out-stretched arms, legs and pointy ears, they resembled Gazimon. But their fur was jet black, all around. Except for those red scratch marks on their eyes. The eyes themselves were small and glowing red. And those hideous smiles... with those ferocious fangs...

------------ Digimon Card: SHADOWMON ------------

Level: Champion

Attribute: Unknown

Type: Mutant

"These are the Shadowmon we've been warning you about. They can digivolve into any form they want, and even if it's another Champion form, they still got the power of Ultimates."

-ExVeemon

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Those beasts all started talking: "Fools! Infidels! All of you are amateurs! Cower before us, you ill-fated losers. Face us, and DIE!" All in unison, and their voices were a mix of male and female pitches. No one could tell their gender, nor their age. ...Nobody really cared though. As the Shadowmon crept closer to their enemies, Agumon announced, "Show time!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"AGUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...................................GREYMON!"

"GABUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO.................................GARURUMON!"

"BIYOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..................................BIRDRAMON!"

"TENTOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...............................KABUTERIMON!"

"GOMMAMAON, DIGIVOLVE TO..........................IKKAKUMON!"

"PALMON, DIGIVOLVE TO....................................TOGEMON!"

"ARMADILLOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO......................ANKYLOMON!"

"PATAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO.................................ANGEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The battle commenced with Greymon: "NOVA BLAST!" The fireball that shot from his mouth nearly hit a few Shadowmon, but they zipped out of the way. One was injured, however; it fell on its back in pain. A few Shadowmon jumped at the giant dinosaur and scratched at his torso, but he whacked them away with his mighty tail.

Ankylomon- yet another dinosaur type- swung his tail hammer at two Shadowmon. One jumped out of the way just in time, but another was nailed to the ground.

Birdramon, the huge phoenix-like bird whose feathers looked like they were on fire- released her attack: "METEOR WING!" The fireballs that shot from her wings burned a few Shadowmon greatly, but they were still alive.

"HOWLING BLASTER!" attacked the giant wolf, Garurumon. One Shadowmon took the blue laser hard, and crashed right through a tree.

Suddenly, the whole gang of Shadowmon rallied together and formed a large black barricade. Together, several of the heroic digimon attacked with full force:

"NEEDLE SPRAY!" shot Togemon.

"HARPOON TORPEDO!" shot Ikkakumon.

"ELECTRO-SHOCKER!" shot Kabuterimon.

"SPIKING STRIKE!" charged Stingmon.

"BLAST RINGS!" shot Aquilamon.

None of those attacks seemed to work; the barricade was too strong. The Shadowmon then split up and jumped high in the air. One of them pulled out a huge (and I mean HUGE) black mallet out of nowhere and roared, "SHADOW HAMMER!" The gigantic mallet bonked Greymon's head hard enough to make him fall on his back.

Before they knew it, all of the Shadowmon had Shadow Hammers, and the heroes took one pounding after another. Until finally, Angemon used his "HAND OF FATE!" and incinerated one of the hammers.

Then Gatomon jumped from behind the unarmed enemy and unleashed her "LIGHTNING PAW!" The Shadowmon vanished into a million black pieces, which instantly vaporized. "YES!" cheered Tai; "We finally got one!"

ExVeemon released "EX LASER!" and destroyed another Shadow Hammer.

But the Shadowmon rolled up into a ball, and with its spiky claws and ears stretched out it hissed, "BLACK SAW!" It started spinning like a buzz saw and swiped itself at the heroes. In fact, it just missed Yolei, who fell on her stomach with a yelp. "Yolei!" Ken cried out and ran to her. Startled, she told him, "I-I'm okay.. I think..."

Then she winced in sudden pain. Ken looked at her arm and gasped, "You're bleeding..." Indeed, she was. Yolei looked to her wound and gasped, "...He... didn't even touch me."

Ken turned to Stingmon and roared, "GET 'EM!" "Right!" Stingmon gave a nod. He unleashed a giant blade from his wrist and charged, "SPIKING STRIKE!" and with a great thrust he sent the hammer-less Shadowmon into non-existence.

Garurumon, Greymon and Angemon had rallied a bunch of Shadowmon to one area, where the three combined their powers and blew the Shadowmon away.

One Shadowmon tried to swipe its Shadow Hammer at ExVeemon, but was blasted from the side by Kabuterimon's attack. Then Aquilamon finished it off with "GRAND HORN!" His enlarged bull horns impaled the Shadowmon, and it vaporized.

There were now three Shadowmon left, much to the liking of the humans. The villains were just hanging in the air, seemingly defenseless. "Finish 'em, guys!" Davis called out.

All of the heroic Champions gathered together for a grand finale of attacks... when a halo of darkness started to form around the villains. ExVeemon knew what was happening, and he gulped, "Oh no.. Here it comes..."

Before their eyes, the humans watched one Shadowmon morph into a void of darkness, and it became MarineDevimon. Another Shadowmon morphed into the darkness and emerged as LadyDevimon. The third morphed into the darkness and became SkullSatamon.

All of the heroic Champions backed up as the villains let out a chorus of insane laughter.

Davis then pulled out his blue D-3 and announced, "Okay! These guys wanna play Ultimates? Let's give 'em Ultimates!" "Yeah," Ken gave a nod, pulling out his black D-3. Davis then called to his friends, "You ready, guys!?"

Yolei pulled out her red D-3, and stood beside Kari, who had her pink one.

TK sided with Cody with his green D-3; Cody with his yellow one.

ExVeemon stood in mid-air with Stingmon. Aquilamon stood beside Gatomon. Angemon floated near Ankylomon. All were in place, all ready to Jogress digivolve.

A minute went by. Then two minutes. Three. ...Davis and Ken were the first to notice that the D-3s were not activating.

ExVeemon called out, "Uh guys? Any day now!" Ken looked at his black D-3 and wondered, "What's wrong?" Furious, Davis started shaking his blue D-3, growling, "...Work... Work! Come on, you stupid piece o' plastic!" He started pounding on it impatiently; "There's nothing wrong with the batteries, 'cause there aren't any! Now WORK, DAMMIT!"

Still, it would not turn on.

"Are they broken?" pondered Yolei. Kari frowned, "That can't be! They've always worked before."

Gatomon paused, then noticed a twinkle coming from her tail ring. She gasped, "I remember now! The only way we can Jogress is by my tail ring... Which... I have now..." Her ears drooped in despair.

Davis roared, "This is hopeless! If we can't Jogress, and nobody's got a crest, how're we supposed to get Ultimate digimon!?" Izzy raised a hand and declared, "After years of studying historical documents on how to survive war-related situations, I propose we do the two plans that have always seemed to work in the most dire situations." Joe wondered, "What're they?" Izzy held up one finger and started, "Scream bloody murder," then he held up a second finger and finished, "and run like the wind." Joe smiled, "Ah! My faves."

"Ready?" Izzy prepared them. Then six Digi-Destined screamed bloody murder and ran off into the forest. Yolei and Kari were next. Then TK and Cody. Finally, Davis and Ken shrugged to each other as if to say "Eh, what the hell?" and did the same. Not too far from their human partners ran the heroic Champions, who were also screaming in terror.

Their legs carried them deeper into the woods, avoiding as many explosions coming from their enemies as they could. They had no idea where they were going, or why, but they didn't seem to care.

TK and Kari were the first to notice two blurs that breezed by them and the rest of the group; it was Ken and Davis, who were the last to take off in a panic run. "Hey!" panted Kari, "…How'd …they get… so fast??" Hearing her, Davis replied in a pant, "What'd you expect? We're athletes!" "RUN FASTER!" added a frantic Ken.

And faster the team ran.

The running stopped when Tai tripped over a small rock and crashed hard. "Tai!" Kari called out, running to his side. He tried to get up, wincing, "..I'm okay..." They all started panting, and looked around. "...Where are we?" Sora gasped. "We're lost," Yolei frowned.

Mimi then pointed to a familiar object and smiled, "No we're not, look! There's the tree I found." They all looked, and saw the tiny sapling glowing in the sunlight amidst the darkness caused by the taller trees. Davis blinked, "...A tree? ...You're looking for a tree?" Mimi crawled up to it and explained, "..It's not just any tree... There's something about it."

Joe took her arm and insisted, "Alright, come on. We gotta get away from those mutants!" "Just wait," she pleaded, pulling herself away from him. She then took her hand and placed it gently on the top branches, as if she was petting a cat.

Tai, Cody and Ken suddenly moved closer to it. Cody pondered, "...What's gotten into Mimi?" Ken started gazing blankly at the sapling and muttered, "She's right.... There's something about it." All at once, his hand met with Mimi's on the tiny delicate branches.

"You guys are crazy!" Tai shouted. As he suddenly grasped onto the branches himself, he added, "There's no way we're gonna get-" Then he felt it. He pulled his hand away from the tree and gasped, "...oh my god..."

Cody gasped, "What?" Tai paused, then gasped softly, "I felt the weirdest thing..." Then he looked into Cody's eyes. They knew something that the others wouldn't understand. Cody and Tai both grabbed onto the banzai-like trunk.

"I don't believe this," Matt scoffed; "We're running for our lives and you guys are playing with a simple little-"

**ZAP!**

Four bolts of light shot from the sapling like comets. One was hot pink, another neon green, another silver and the last bright orange. The four humans who touched the sapling all jumped back, as dumbfounded as their friends.

The light started beaming on each of them- Ken, Mimi, Cody and Tai. Then, to everyone's amazement, four golden chains emerged from the flowers on the sapling. One chain wrapped around Ken's neck; another around Tai's neck; a third around Mimi's neck; and the fourth around Cody's wrist.

The golden light faded into golden chains. Thick, royal-looking chains. They were-

"Necklaces!?" Sora gasped. "And a bracelet?" Yolei blurted out, gazing at the golden brace around Cody's wrist. "Not just that..." Tai blinked twice in surprise. He looked down, to the circular jewel that hung on his new "necklace." It was a bronze jewel, with a bright orange inscription in the center. That inscription... symbol, rather... resembled the sun. He muttered, "...it's my crest... Courage..."

Ken looked at the round black jewel with the hot pink rose in its center and he recognized it; "Kindness."

Mimi smiled at her round, light purple jewel with the light green teardrop in its center; "Sincerity!"

Cody gazed at the circular jewel that was on his bracelet. It was gold, with a silver symbol in the center. The symbol resembled scales, like the Libra's horoscope symbol. "...what is this?" he muttered. Before anyone can say anything else, the enemies arrived.

Then, the most amazing thing happened.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

(Breaking the traditional vision, now you see a silhouette of a human arm stretch out, holding the new crest in its hand. First is Tai's holding the Crest of Courage, and so forth and so on.

The Crest emerges from the jewel, shooting in the sky just as it does in the show. But then, right when the power of the crest flashes into data, we see the image of Gaiamon (a green-shaded spirit shaped as a woman) give a nod, as if allowing the data to be formatted. Then her own image phases into the data itself.

From there, the vision looks the same as it's always been...)

"GREYMON, DIGIVOLVE TO................................METALGREAYMON!"

"TOGEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...............................LILYMON!"

"ANKYLOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...........................SHAKKUOMON!"

"STINGMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...............................DINOBEEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

There it was; the gasp heard 'round the digital world. Everybody stared in awe, as three Ultimates were reborn... and a fourth made his first ever appearance. Cody gasped, "Shakkoumon... and he didn't even Jogress!"

"Lilymon!" Mimi cheered.

"MetalGreymon!" Tai rejoiced.

Ken stared at the beast before him. He had the head, wings and feet of Stingmon, and the torso, legs and tail of ExVeemon. Of course, all his familiar-looking parts were altered, to make him look darker, more terrifying. He even had a spiked collar around his neck, a sign of him being possibly untamed. Ken blinked, "...Who're you?"

------------ Digimon Card: DINOBEEMON ------------

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Mutant

"I am DinoBeemon, Stingmon's true Ultimate level. I have the same strengths as Paildramon, but personally I think I'm cuter."

-DinoBeemon

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dino... Beemon?" Davis gapped. "Yeah," Ken said breathlessly; "...he looks awesome..." Tai crossed his arms as he gazed courageously at his enemies, and let everybody know, "Well... I don't know how we did it, but we did it. Now LET'S SHOW 'EM WHAT WE'VE GOT!"

The first to make a move was MetalGreymon; "GIGA-BLASTER!" His metal chest opened up and two torpedoes came flying out. They blasted the squid-like demon known as MarineDevimon, and he took the fall hard.

"FLOWER CANNON!" Lilymon shouted, as her hands unleashed a flower with a gun in the center. The laser just missed LadyDevimon, but then she was hit by Shakkoumon's "JUSTICE BEAM!" which shot from his eyes.

MetalGreymon attacked with his steel claw and scratched her badly. The claw was then tangled by one of MarineDevimon's tentacles. They tugged at each other, until DinoBeemon scratched the tentacle clean off. MarineDevimon then turned to the new hero. DinoBeemon let out a small chuckle; "I've been waiting for this... For a long time..."

SkullSatamon attacked with "NAIL BONE!" It got Shakkoumon, but not before the steel warrior unleashed his "HARMONIOUS SPIRIT!" The sudden counter-attack knocked the demon for a loop.

Once again, MetalGreymon unleashed "GIGA-BLASTER!" and the flying demon was blasted away. MarineDevimon attacked, "GUILTY BLACK!" which nearly ended both Lilymon and MetalGreymon.

But DinoBeemon advanced on him and gave him a great kick in the gut. Then the insect/dragon pulled out his long-awaited attack: "HELL MASQUERADE!" It was too much for the evil demons to bear, and both he and LadyDevimon were vanquished.

The three evil Ultimates were now reduced to three dark spheres that just hung in the sky, and dark lightning spouted around them. The heroes took this as their victory, and cheered triumphantly.

As they cheered, the great metallic dinosaur named MetalGreymon morphed in a bright light, to a small pink bubble with red puppy eyes and long rabbit-like ears. Tai ran to him, smiling, "Koromon!"

The slender, lady-like pixie called Lilymon morphed in a bright light to a little green creature that looked like a living seedling. Mimi scooped her in her arms, cheering, "Tanemon!"

The towering silver warrior called Shakkoumon morphed into a small pale bubble with ears that looked like bird wings. He bounced into Cody's arms as the human exclaimed, "Upamon!"

Finally, the dino-insect mutant called DinoBeemon morphed into a tiny, pale green larva with a brown sticky pouch for a torso. He floated to Ken, cheering, "Did you see me, Ken? Did you see me? I was awesome, wasn't I? And I did it all by myself!" "I know, Minomon, I know!" Ken giggled as he took the tiny In-Training digimon in his arms.

"OH MY GOD!" Sora screamed, looking at what they thought were the defeated villains. They all saw in utter shock as the electric spheres phased back into the Shadowmon! Davis's jaw dropped; "...They're STILL HERE!? HOW? WHY!?" The three beasts were panting, out of breath, but in unison they hissed, "fools... infidels... amateurs.... You made a mistake coming here... Now you will pay for it...."

The heroes just stood there, baffled and confused. The three villains, altogether, pulled out their weapons and roared, "SHADOW HAMMER!"

They flew to their enemies with full force. All the humans and digimon screamed in horror, having not one clue as to how to get out of this new situation. The evil ones came at them like giant bullets, ready to smack them all into the ground with one mighty thrust of their mallets.

When suddenly, that tiny tree behind the humans blasted a great light. The Shadowmon stopped in mid-air, just inches away from their foes. They were blinded by this new flash of light, no matter how hard they tried to block it from their eyes. The light also made their weapons vaporize instantly.

The humans and digimon realized where it was coming from, and they all took a leap backwards- or sideways, depending on their location.

The small tree started to grow... and grow... and grow... until it became a cross between an oak and a willow. It was huge. Its shadow blanketed the heroes gracefully, and all around them a giant flower bed was forming like a mattress. As freaky as the situation was, the end result was, to put in one word, beautiful.

Pure nature at its best.

The Shadowmon however, trembled in fear. One of them screamed in horror, "IT'S THE DIGI-KEEPER OF THE LAND! RU-U-U-U-U-U-U-N!!" But it was too late. The light that first erupted from the sapling- now a towering giant- zapped like a cannon and incinerated the Shadowmon in seconds.

All eyes fell on the giant tree. It took about ten seconds for somebody to draw a breath. That someone was Izzy; he sighed, "...well.... that was new..."

As he and his best friend gazed at the tree with bulged eyes, Davis nervously shook his head and stuttered, "...This i-... This is ..a-a little different.. than.. Th-the.. the fights we had.. just.... three years ago. (Ken nodded) ........ u-u-h... Uh, An- Any-any-anybody got any ideas? ...Anybody?" Ken shook his head.

"Look!" Mimi exclaimed, pointing to the trunk of the tree. They all watched as the bark started to shift, as if they were gazing at a heat wave. To their amazement, the olive green wood rippled, and two human eyes were formed. The eyes were round, feminine, and were shaded in the same way as the tree bark. The eyes soon fit into a face.

A young woman's face.

Her hair faded into the tree's bark. Then the face moved further out, until finally, she had a torso and legs. Her ankles faded into the roots of the tree, so she seemed to have no feet. Her arms stretched out, as if they were branches. Her back was connected to the tree trunk, but it looked like she was wearing a dress. A toga of some kind. Her hair was flowing now, and some parts of it faded into leaves. She was a much lighter green than the trunk... but she was the trunk. She was_ the tree_.

She smiled at them all innocently.

The silence was deafening.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Revelation

Author's Note: As part of my Disclaimer, I'd like to point out that part of this chapter may inadvertently contradict the original plot of Digimon. My apologies go to the original creators.

_"Our first day in the digital world after four years, and we're welcomed HOW? By an ambush of evil Shadowmon! Obviously, we're not dealing with any normal digimon here, and they've proven it by digivolving to Ultimates. Things looked bad, even when all our digimon became Champions, when all of a sudden this tree we found started glowing. Just then Tai, Cody, Ken and Mimi all got their crests back, and their digimon became Ultimates- Hey! Who's that girl in the tree!?"_

_-TK_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Four: "Revelation"**

------------ Flashback- Eight Years Ago ------------

They were known as the Dark Masters; four Mega digimon corrupted by greed and a lust for power seized control over the digital world while a young Tai Kamiya and his friends were dealing with yet another digimon foe in the real world. Each Dark Master took control over a certain area of the digital world; Metal Seadramon ruled the seas, Puppetmon ruled the forests, Machinedramon ruled the cities, and Peidmon ruled the plain of darkness.

It was during this adventure when a young Matt Ishida found himself lost in spirit. From the beginning, he had questioned himself about why he was chosen to be a hero, and what it was that was expected of him. Puppetmon took advantage of the boy's insecurities, and joined forces with a manipulative digimon named Cherrymon. Cherrymon looked like a tree with a face and multiple branches for arms (one of which held a wooden cane).

Cherrymon made his move as soon as Matt separated himself from the group of Digi-Destined; he and his partner Gabumon, who followed him around like a lost puppy, took refuge by a lake. The tree-like Cherrymon then started to talk to Matt in a friendly manner, but Matt knew not to trust him. But eventually, the talking tree got to him by saying things like, "I know how you feel; you feel like everybody else has changed and gotten stronger except for you. Well, kid, I know exactly what you gotta do to get stronger." That finally got Matt's attention.

"You see that lake over there?" instructed the deceptive Cherrymon; "When you look inside it, you'll see the face of your enemy. Only by defeating your rival will you become a great leader." Tempted, Matt looked into the water, and to his shock, he saw a reflection of himself, which morphed into the image of his friend, Tai. Matt blinked, "You want me to fight Tai??" Cherrymon laughed, "Me?? Whoever said _I_ wanted you to fight him? Listen, kid, that mirror only lets you see what you wanna see. Deep down you hate Tai and resent that he's the leader. What the mirror is showing you is true: you must fight Tai and defeat him; otherwise, you'll never grow into the person you're meant to be!"

Tai knew in his heart that Cherrymon was lying, but that didn't stop him from declaring war on Tai anyway. He really intended on confronting Tai's actions, not Tai himself; that's why, when they really did get into a one-on-one fight, Matt started to challenge Tai's on thoughts and opinions on their destiny.

As he threw his punches, Matt exclaimed, "Why do you think we're here, Tai? What's so special about us!?" Tai was stubborn, but his heart was in the right place; he understood his purpose in the digital world as much as Matt did, but he wasn't ready to question his doubts. Tai fought back in saying, "We were chosen to save this world! That's why we're here!" "…But what if we're wrong?" asked a weakening Matt.

Meanwhile, the six other children watched in horror and confusion; they had already been through enough, and it was getting to all of them. But none had the courage to break up Matt and Tai's fight.

When suddenly, little Kari's attention was taken away by the image of a soft light coming from a tree nearby. It looked like a star had fallen from the sky and landed right in the middle of the forest. Kari stared at it, and as she did she seemed to have fallen into a trance. "Oh hello," she said to it; "My name is Kari. Do you have a name?" Amazingly, she seemed to be talking to this little star.

In moments, this little star became a great haze of white light, which stunned everyone, including the feuding heroes. Soon everyone was introduced to a new Kari; a strange new presence had taken over her body, and when it spoke through her, it sounded older, like an adult woman. Fearful of his sister's fate, Tai demanded to know, "Who are you!? What did you do to my sister??" "Your sister," answered the voice, "is alright. Because of her unique psychic abilities, I was able to speak through her. But now I must speak with you Digi-Destined..."

This presence within Kari claimed to be a computer-like program that had not yet taken physical form, unlike any digimon. It was sent by those who had created the digital world in the first place, to show these children just how important their presence in this world was. It also showed them part of the past, which explained just how their digimon partners came to be and how they were nearly destroyed by the Dark Master Peidmon. It took them a little while, but eventually the Digi-Destined began to understand how certain things came together. But what they still hadn't understand, and perhaps never truly will, is how they were the ones chosen by fate in the first place.

Only one thing is certain: this was the first time any of them had come across the presence of a Digital Keeper. And it would not be the last.

------------ End Flashback ------------

"So…" muttered the awestruck Kellen, as he and Gennai descended in an elevator to an underground level of a secret base, "this is where it all started."

Everything from the ceiling, floor and four walls of this base were completely metal, suggesting that it was entirely built by human hands. In the center of this narrow hole that seemed to go down for miles, there snaked a tower of metal that touched the ceiling all the way down to the floor. The tower itself was made entirely of massive cables, it seemed, that twisted and coiled around each other to make one giant composition.

The cables were actually more like computer wires; the physical connections between the digital world and that world from which Gennai and his people came from. This seemed to be what was left of it; a palace that was structured like that of a termite mound, where everything most vital to the digital world was beneath the earth. "Yes," replied Gennai, as he observed the elevator's movement from one level of the palace to this bottomless one; "This is where our most dedicated Preservers take refuge, and it is here where we'll be able to connect to the digital world ourselves."

Kellen was also observing the surroundings as well; there seemed to be something lighting up this tunnel-like level from the center, where the cables were. Gennai helped him look closer; "Look there, Kellen. You see those lights in the middle? They're coming from the computer's wiring system; they blink like that to show us that things are functioning normally. If they weren't, they'd be pitch black."

"So," guessed the child, "if they were dark, would that mean something's wrong in the digital world?" "Yes," nodded the old man; "But we're here for an even bigger purpose, my boy; we have to join our friends in the digital world to help the Digi-Destined. And to do that, we'll have to go in one of... those."

The old man pointed toward the very bottom of the level; it seemed to have had a floor after all. Kellen blinked in amazement to see that the floor of this base was tiled with overlapping pods. There were many full-body-sized pods that were wired into the cable lines that made up the center of the underground base level. One was stacked up on top of another to create a pyramid-like structure that sat perfectly under the cable wall.

Kellen could also see that a few of these pods seemed to be occupied, as they were glowing blue from the inside of their glass-sealed shells. That's where the elevator that carried Kellen and Gennai stopped.

Gennai then escorted the young boy to the nearest of these cocoon-like pods and opened it for him. It slid open like the roof of a convertible, and inside was a comfortably padded lounge chair, along with a complicated-looking wiring system connected to a helmet. Gennai carefully strapped the boy in, locking arm and leg wires to the boy's appendages, while saying, "Now, this may feel really weird at first, but you'll get used to it almost instantly. I know I did."

The boy took care of the helmet himself, and as he slipped it over his brow (which ultimately covered even his eyes) he asked, "I'm really excited about this, Gennai, but what happens out here while we're in there?" Gennai smiled, "It'll feel like you're dreaming, 'cause... Well, you really will be dreaming, once you've started the program. Don't worry about your body; in seconds, this cocoon will fill up with a liquid that's made to keep everything in tact. You won't need food or water, or anything." The boy's half-hidden face smiled, "Okay! Am I ready to go?" "Just about," replied Gennai.

As Gennai closed Kellen's pod, he quickly scooted over to an unoccupied pod nearby. The old man was all too familiar with this system, and didn't need to take his time to strap himself in. Soon he pressed a button from within his cocoon-like pod to manually close the pod's roof. Both pods then filled up with a warm red goo, as Gennai had said; it worked in the same way as ectoplasm, a vital substance that would keep their human bodies nourished for as long as their minds were within the digital world. And then, seconds later, the pods lit up from the inside, indicating that Gennai and Kellens' minds were being downloaded into the main computer's program.

Author's Note: Yes. I know this looks like "The Matrix," but I really can't think of a more creative way to make virtual reality in this story work! Sue me!!

Kellen was expecting a big change of scenery when he opened his eyes after drifting off into a dream-like state. He popped out of his pod like it was a lounge chair, and gazed in curiosity at his surroundings. "…Are… Are we-" he began to ask, when suddenly Gennai made himself known by saying, "Before you ask, no we're not there yet."

Kellen glanced around at the ancient-looking walls around them; "It looks like we never left home!" "I know," explained Gennai; "This is the crossroad between our world and the digital world. This is where we used to monitor activity there, and where we first created the digimon."

The old man then directed the boy to an area that was in complete ruins; there were toppled computer hardware systems, and on one wall stood a table with shattered glass, as if it used to be a tank. Gennai further explained, "This is where the Dark Masters attacked us and forced me to relocate the digimon eggs to File Island many years ago. Since then, this place had been almost completely deserted, which explains why it's still messed up."

Kellen blinked in curiosity, "Ohh… But Gennai, if it's not a safe place, then why are we here?" The old man smiled wisely, "Because, my boy, nobody is expecting us to be here! It's the perfect hiding place where you and I will preserve the digital world from here on in." Kellen laughed at Gennai's seemingly senile plan, because he knew that as crazy as it sounded, it actually made sense.

Gennai then led the boy to another wall; this one had sealed shut doors that would slide open from the sides. Gennai then moved toward a table that had encrypted on it a series of ancient-looking symbols. These were the code words for the digital world. He started typing a secret passage code on it, and before long, the doors came alive and slid slowly open. Behind them, a blinding ray of sunlight from the digital world itself. "Woah," muttered an awestruck Kellen.

The two Preservers then stood before the sliding open doors and prepared to cross through. "This is it," said Gennai in an almost excited tone. He took the first step, with Kellen close behind.

"Next stop, the digital world!"

Nobody spoke for a good ten minutes. They were all stunned, staring at this creature that just suddenly popped up out of what they thought was an ordinary tree. Even the digimon were shocked by its presence. The "lady," however, looked very calm as she smiled peacefully. Her eyes, however, started to squint slightly; it seemed like she was having trouble seeing.

Davis finally broke the silence: "There's a lady in that tree." Everybody glared at him with a silent chorus of "NO DUH!" The "lady" smiled at him, almost lovingly. Sora blinked a few times, "Is that... what we were looking for all this time?" "I don't know," Izzy gulped; "but it sure seems odd for a digimon to assume both a human and a tree form at the same time."

Matt, whose eyes were glowing with sudden awe, blurted out, "She's beautiful..." Sora couldn't help but look back to him in shock. TK, seemingly joking, asked, "Anybody wanna say hi?" "Hi," replied the tree-lady. TK jumped back, "Gah! ...You can talk?" She nodded, "Yes." He gulped, "Who...Who are you?"

------------ Digimon Card: GAIAMON ------------

Level: Keeper

Attribute: Data

Type: Human Nature

_"I am Gaiamon, Keeper of The Digital Land. I am literally one with nature, which is why I usually take the form of a plant or other earthly elemental."_

-Gaiamon

------------------------------------------------------------

"I knew it!" Joe smiled; "I knew you were a Digi-Keeper!" The others were still unsure.

Her eyes fluttered, "...My eyes are weak... Where are my Chosen? Which of you is my Brave One?" Tai finally stepped forward, "Are you talking about me?" She smiled, "Taichi Kamiya? Is that you?" He moved closer to her and nodded, "Yeah, that's me." Gaiamon stretched out her branch-like hand and smiled, "You were my first; my Digi-Destined of Courage." Tai gasped, "...It was _you_ who made my crest." Gaiamon added, "And I made three others... Where is Mimi?" Mimi jumped up excitedly, "Me! giggling I'm Mimi." Gaiamon recognized her voice; "My Sincere One. You were my second Chosen. And then The Kind One..." Ken boldly stepped forward; "Me?" Gaiamon released some of the flowers on her branches and they danced around him playfully; she sighed, "I am so happy to see you here. All of you."

Then her head turned to the smallest human of all; she smiled, "And you.. My Just One." Cody's jaw dropped; "J-...Just One? You mean..." "That's right, Cody," nodded the tree-lady; "You have been given your own crest: the Crest of Justice." Cody looked down to the new crest and tag on his wrist, blinking with disbelief; "...Justice..." He then looked to the lady in the tree and smiled, "I always wanted my own..."

Gaiamon sighed, "My power has not been as powerful as it is now... That's why we had the D3s and digi-mentals created, and had Gennai establish Jogress digivolving. But now the time has come for me and my sisters to create more crests, and make all of your digimon more powerful than ever." Ken nodded, "That's why Wormmon digivolved to DinoBeemon." "And Shakkoumon digivolved without Angemon," added Cody.

Izzy asked, "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, Miss, but what exactly IS a Digital Keeper?" "Are you like digimon?" asked Kari. Gaiamon replied with a giggle, "Yes… and no. We are, shortly put, the heart and soul of the digital world itself. We created the digimon, and we are the ones who monitor their actions. We are the Preservers; we make sure this world does not disrupt the balance of reality, which as you know had its adjustments to make at first. Without us, the digital world would be nothing more than a mere video game."

"You're saying that this place did in fact start out as computer data... But it's you and others like you that make it real?" Izzy guessed. Gaiamon giggled, "That is why you, Koushiro Izumi, are the Bearer of Knowledge. My sister is particularly proud of you." Izzy sweat-dropped, "Uh.. You have a sister?" Gaiamon smiled, "Two sisters, actually. The sister I am referring to is Oceanamon, Keeper of The Digital Seas. She is the one who gives the oceans life, as I give the land life. The third of us is Polarimon, Keeper of The Digital Sky." Davis smiled, "Land, Sea and Air... It makes perfect sense!" "To you, anyway," frowned Yolei; she crossed her arms, one of them being bandaged from the previous Shadowmon attack.

Gaiamon sighed softly, "...I know this is all so confusing for you. I must explain the story... the whole story." Izzy shrugged, "We already know a lot. We know we've been chosen to protect both this world and ours. And, we now know that each of us was chosen by a particular Digi-Keeper." Gaiamon shook her head, "You don't yet know _why_ this is all happening. You don't know how it all started.... I will tell you now, if you like." In mere heartbeats, everybody- humans and digimon alike- sat down in Gaiamon's huge flowerbed comfortably. They prepared themselves like scouts at a campfire, ready to hear a long and possibly scary story. And so Gaiamon took a deep breath, and began...

"Before I begin, let me just clear something up to avoid future confusion. Do you remember the incident eight years ago, when little Kari Kamiya was possessed by a spirit who showed you part of our story?" Tai's eyes blinked; "...Wait a second. I remember that! It was some kind of data program that explained how Gennai brought our digimon partners to File Island." "Yes," nodded Gaiamon; "That program was the first time that my sisters and I had made contact with you children. The one in charge of Kari's voice was my sister Polarimon. The reason why we spoke to you that day was so that you could further understand your purpose in the digital world...

"But," she said with a frown, "the digital world was never meant to be the battlegrounds of an eternal war between good and evil. It was meant to be an alternate world for my kind. Let me tell you how it all got started...

------------ Flashback/Vision; Gaiamon's POV ------------

"I don't remember the last time I saw my world, but what I do remember about it was that it was dying. If you were to set foot in it now, you wouldn't be able to take in a breath of fresh air; the sky was always gray with smog. There were hardly any trees left; they were all removed, along with the mountains and the plains for new cities. Understand this, children- in my world, we had plenty of ways to keep the human race alive with medicines and other medical breakthroughs, so it was only natural that in time we would start to run out of room, and food. Then things only got worse when one land would not share its remaining natural resources with another, and wars would spring out as a result of their greed.

"We had seen too much destruction and too much carelessness to allow our children to live in such a chaotic environment. We couldn't allow ourselves to let them starve and fight for their right to live. So, instead of accepting their fate, we used the best of our computer programs to create for them a new world. A world where they and the rest of our kind could live in peace with every necessity they could ever ask for, and more."

Izzy "The digital world."

Gaiamon "Exactly."

Yolei "But wait. I thought the digital world was made of a combination of things, like computer data mixed with people's dreams."

Gaiamon "You're on the right track, Yolei Inoue. The digital world _is_ a virtual reality, brought to life by the thoughts and dreams of my people. In truth, you and your people have contributed your dreams to it as well, which is how it crossed over to your world in the first place.

"But you see, there are many of us that still breathe life into the digital world within an underground shelter in our own world. As we speak, they are dreaming away in what we call cocoons- think of them as state-of-the-art virtual pods- and as they sleep their brainwaves are being downloaded into our main computer, which then transfers their dreams into pure data."

Izzy "And that data becomes the blueprint of the digital world."

Gaiamon "Correct."

------------ End Flashback/Vision ------------

The Keeper of the Digital Land concluded, "...We did not mean to play God; we only wanted a new place to call our home."

"That still doesn't explain why there are evil digimon here," said Tai as he scratched his chin. The woman in the tree gulped softly, "Well... I could easily explain that right now. See, there was one individual that was part of our original team of Preservers, but he theorized that our virtual world was incomplete without a dark, negative force. In his opinion, life in any world is balanced by good and evil, and without one or the other, it would crumble. He later left the team, and we hadn't seen nor heard from him again until some years later, when the digital world was within its final configuring stages. That's when he released the evil digital monsters, and that led to the Dark Masters, Devimon, Myotismon, and all of the villains you've come to do battle with."

"Ohhh," sighed the humans and digimon. Cody broke the silence with, "So that one guy you were talking about... Does that mean he's a Keeper too?" Gaiamon nodded, "Yes. He is the Keeper of Darkness, and he's been known to take on the likeness of one of his own creations. I'm not sure who he is now, but if I'm present in this world now, then that must mean he's getting ready to do battle with me and my sisters."

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Yolei, "back up a second... You said earlier that there are people like you that're in... cocoons?" The woman in the tree nodded again, "Yes, Yolei. Those people that I was referring to include me and my sisters. Periodically, Gennai enters the digital world as well, but since he doesn't live in it for as long as we do, he doesn't have to shed his human form." Joe blinked, "So are you saying, if anything would happen to you or your sisters... you'd...?" Gaiamon frowned, "I really don't know what would happen to us. We've been part of this world for so long that we've become part of it. ...That's why we've called on you children yet again; to prevent the worst from happening if it should come to that."

"I'm sure that even as we speak, the Keeper of Darkness is gathering his forces..."

Deep in a castle that was hidden in the digital world's dark realm, a tall man who seemed to be in his early twenties in a gray robe walked down a hallway. He was being escorted by a small evil digimon known as DemiDevimon. Usually, this little creature would show off his flying ability, but at this moment he'd rather walk on his two scrawny talons. Perhaps he was being modest about who he and the human were about to see.

"...And to your left is the chamber room," guided the small creature, "where The Master keeps his treasures. Usually I like to take a peek at 'em just to see what he's got, but so far I've only seen his fist in my face." He and the human stopped at a closed doorway. "Welp, here we are!" smiled DemiDevimon. The human- pale-skinned and dark-eyed, with long indigo hair that was in a ponytail that caped his back- gave a small sigh as he gazed at the doorway.

"Go on in," DemiDevimon smiled, flying beside the human excitedly, "unless you're scared!" The man gave him a smirk, "Is that what you think I am? You think that just because I have no magic powers it makes me feel inferior?" DemiDevimon huffed, "Well of course you are! Guys like me can become bigger and stronger! What can a mere human do?" The man glared at him evilly and replied, "Unlike _some _digimon, mere humans have hands. Hands that can carry not-so-mere weapons." The bat-wined creature then gulped, "...Right... Anyways, I'm gonna go get The Master now." The man gave a nod, "You'd better."

DemiDevimon crept through the doorway, and in seconds, the doors slowly flew open. The human entered the room, which was only illuminated by candles in the far back. The man walked down a black carpet which led to a huge throne. There was no light where the throne was, but there was someone sitting on it. Someone big. With glowing blue eyes.

The man stopped at the foot of the short staircase that led to the throne. He then bent down on one knee, put his fist to his heart and announced with confidence, "I am Daru, Preserver of the dark digital realm. It is my honor to serve you, Oh Great One." Whoever was on the throne looked at him, and with a deep, inhuman voice he said, "You are among friends here." Daru smiled, "Thank you." "...Daru, is it?" asked the one on the throne. Daru nodded, "Yes. I am also the one who created the Shadowmon. They are too unnatural to even be considered digimon, which makes them very worthy opponents." Perched on the right side of the throne, DemiDevimon crossed his wings and scoffed, "Hmph! Figures a human would wanna out-do us, Boss!" "Silence, DemiDevimon," his Master murmured. His voice made the digimon jump in surprise, but he then perched himself again.

Daru reached into his robe and said, "I suppose you're wondering how I've managed to make the Shadowmon become Ultimate digimon." The dark figure replied with a soft "Hmm.." Daru then pulled out two familiar-looking objects. At the sight of them, DemiDevimon jumped and barked, "GAH! It CAN'T BE!" But it was, as Daru smiled wickedly, "I hold in my left hand a digivice- one that I created myself. And what I hold in my right hand is a crest-" "THAT'S IT!" shouted DemiDevimon; "I heard enough! No crazy human's gonna come in here and show us those stupid-" "SILENCE!" roared the shadowed figure on the throne. DemiDevimon was then knocked for a loop.. or two... by the power of his Master's voice.

Daru continued, "This is no ordinary crest, Your Eminence. This is the Crest of Power. It can make ANY digimon digivolve, to any level you wish it to. It works also for the Shadowmon." "Hmmm..." repeated the one on the throne. Daru then rose to his feet and frowned, "There's just one problem. When they reach the Ultimate level, I can no longer control them. That is why I'm here, sir. I am asking for your approval, that I may use some of your own natural-born servants. Perhaps one of them will be able to control my creations." DemiDevimon's Master then reached out his skeletal hand and replied, "Not one... Seven."Not noticing the thunderous rumble behind him, Daru raised an eyebrow and asked, "...Seven?"

Daru then heard a crash from behind him. He turned around in surprise, and suddenly there were seven shadows in a line, all flowing like tongues of black fire. The creature on the throne explained, "These are my greatest of creations. They were brought up with the essence of pure evil. They were not yet ready for battle, until now. And they are:

"Greedmon."

The first tongue of black fire became a green-eyed silhouette of a brown dragon (or insect)-like beast. He smiled, "Tell me what you desire, and I will let it be all yours."

"Envymon."

The next became a silhouette of a yellow-eyed, snake-figured woman with olive green highlights. She moaned, "Why wasn't _I_ the first one picked? Aren't I just as deadly as the others?"

"Gluttonymon."

The next became a silhouette of a blue-eyed creature; half-man, half-pig. He snorted, "When do we eat?"

"Lustmon."

The next became a silhouette of an attractive young woman with violet eyes. She smiled at Daru, "Hey, who's the hottie?"

"Slothmon......... Slothmon?.........SLOTHMON!!"

The next became a ghostly figure of an old, skin-and-bone man. He yawned, "Huh? Wha? Has the fight started already?"

"Groan ...Wrathmon."

The next became a burning, dark red image of an inhuman beast with burning red eyes. It simply snarled.

"And finally-"

"Say no more," smirked the last tongue of black fire. It morphed into a midnight black woman with silver eyes. She seemed to have a crown on her head. She smiled, "I am Pridemon, the last and certainly not the _least _of The Sin Digimon."

"_Sin _Digimon?" Daru replied in confusion. The figure on the throne gave a nod, "Yes. They will be scattered into the digital world, and each will be in control of all minions less powerful than they. When your Shadowmon digivolve, these Sin Digimon will be able to control them." Daru then turned to his new Master and asked, "So the Shadowmon will not be the only problem the Digi-Destined have to face?" His Master replied, "When we are finished, the Digi-Destined will _wish_ the Shadowmon were the only problem."

In mere moments, all of the villains broke into a chorus of evil laughter. But when DemiDevimon started to cackle, the others shot a unanimous glare at him, and in cowardice, he crept away.

Davis then asked, "So okay, Cody got a new crest. Does that mean Yolei and me new ones too?" Gaiamon replied, "Patience, Davis Motomiya." He raised an eyebrow, "I get Patience?" Yolei elbowed him, "No, stupid! She meant 'Be patient!'" Davis rubbed his arm as if she really did hurt him; "Ow.."

"What about the digi-mentals?" Ken wondered; "They just suddenly disappeared?" "Yeah that's right," Cody nodded; "and our D-terminals too. Where'd they go?" Gaiamon nodded, "Gennai used what was left of their power to free The Four Guardians from their prisons." Tai snapped his fingers, "That's what they meant when they said that... We didn't understand at the time." Gaiamon added, "And now the digi-mentals as you knew them are no more. They have been changed to digi-eggs. Real ones. And they were scattered across the digital world, waiting for the day when they will be reborn as the armor digimon." Davis cheered, "So I'll see Flamedramon and Raidramon again!" Gaiamon smiled, "Yes, Davis."

In his child-like voice, the little In-Training digimon named Koromon said, "If I was War Greymon, we'd get these bad guys much easier... Not that I'm bragging, of course." Tai looked to him and smiled, then turned to the Digi-Keeper and asked, "Will we get to see our Mega digimon again?" Gaiamon gave a nod, "The Megas will rise, both old and new."

Then Mimi suddenly asked, "What about Gennai?" Suddenly, an old, familiar voice from behind them mocked, "What _about _Gennai?" The heroes turned around, and before them stood their old friend and guide. "Gennai!" they all jumped up happily. The old man smiled through his large mustache, "It's good to see you all again." Gaiamon informed them, "Gennai has taken such good care of this world while me and my sisters have been hibernating. That is why we know him as The Preserver." Izzy smiled, "Makes sense." Gennai then moved to the side to let them all see the small child that stood timidly behind him. The old man said, "I'd like you all to meet my new assistant.

"This is Kellen, who comes from my former reality." The child waved shyly, "Hi." "Hi," they all waved back; Sora asked, "So he's taking care of this place too?" "Sort of," the child shrugged; "I'm more of an inventor than a preserver. In fact, I made my own digimon." With that, he held out a small white creature with purple, wing-tipped ears, pale green eyes and a snowball-like body. Kellen smiled, "This is Kurumon... He's still learning to talk." Yolei looked down on the little creature and smiled, "Aww.. He's cute!" Kellen blushed, "He's just a Rookie, and so far he's not ready to fight.." Yolei patted the shy creature on the head lightly and smiled, "He's still cute though." Kellen shrugged, "Maybe one of these days he'll be a hero, like your digimon." "We'll see," Matt smiled.

"Gennai?" Yolei turned to him curiously. "Yes?" he asked. She smiled, "It is nice to see you again, but... I thought you were ....um.. younger?" Gennai laughed, "Oh, I'm not offended by your question, Yolei. Yes, I was sort of re-formatted the last time we met. It was only because I had to get involved in your battles, whereas I didn't have to the first time you kids came here." Tai nodded, "So now you're back to just preserving?" Gennai replied, "Just until I find out who's helping the Digi-Keeper of Darkness. As it turns out, he has his own Preserver and Inventor; the jerks who made the Shadowmon." "Oh.." gasped the Digi-Destined.

Kellen nodded, "Not just that, but he broke the time barrier." "That's right," Gennai nodded; "The digital world and your real world are supposed to go by different times; a month here would be like a minute on Earth. But thanks to this evil preserver, time in both worlds will be synchronized." Sora blinked, "...So if we stay here longer than a month, our parents will go crazy!" "Oh NO!" Mimi howled in fear; "My folks are gonna think I was killed or something.."

Gaiamon, whose vision seemed to improve at this point, shook her head, "I said this would not be an easy challenge." Tai then shook his head, "We've faced a lotta challenges before." "Yeah," Cody frowned, "but this is supposed to be the worst one ever." Yolei added, "We might even..." Then she gulped. Tai sighed, "Look you guys, they chose us particular kids for a reason. Maybe we're the only ones out of everybody else on Earth who can deal with this thing. We shouldn't be worried about our families; at least they'll be safe from whatever it is that we gotta face out there." "Tai is right," Davis nodded; "and we're gonna win! You know why? 'Cause we're the good guys!" Gaiamon smiled joyfully. Tai smiled to his friends, "So are we all in this together or what?" Each one either said "Yeah" or just gave a nod. Tai then turned to Gaiamon and announced, "Okay, we're ready! Bring on the first challenge!" As he did so, Yolei moved over to Mimi and frowned, "Sometimes I think he's too brave for his own good." Mimi nodded, "I just hope he's right, that we'll get outta this."

Gaiamon announced, "Your first challenge, Digi-Destined, is to find my sisters; Oceanamon and Polarimon." Ken asked calmly, "But who'll take care of you?" The tree-lady smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not in danger as long as the villains don't know where I am. But they might find my sisters, so you must find them first." "You got it!" Davis saluted. TK got up and stretched his legs, "Well, we better get going!"

In a few minutes, everybody was up and ready to go. Each human had a backpack, complete with food, clothes and whatnot. Before they officially left, Gennai raised his hand and said, "Oh wait, kids! I almost forgot to mention, your D3s have been upgraded the moment you came here. They can now be used as communicators, so if you should split up you can still talk to each other." "Cool!" Davis smiled to his blue D3; "Walkie-talkies! Thanks, Gennai!" "No problem," Gennai waved.

Then he gasped, "Oh wait, Davis! I almost forgot to give you something." Davis stepped forward; "What is it?" With that, Gennai held out a gold chain- one that mirrored the thick gold chains that Tai, Ken and Mimi now had- and gave it to Davis; "Here. This is your tag." Davis gasped, like a child that found his presents under the tree on Christmas morning. He wrapped it around his neck and rejoiced, "My tag! Yes! I got my... Wait a minute..." He noticed the round gold band in the center of his new necklace; there was a huge gap in it, where a certain jewel should be. He looked to Gennai and yelled, "Hey! Where's my Crest?" Gennai shook his head, "I'd explain it to you, but you wouldn't understand." Davis paused with a look of great disappointment on his face. Gennai sighed, "Don't worry, you'll get it. Just give it time." "Oh..." frowned the young hero; "Okay..." Then Gennai waved to the whole team; "Good luck, Digi-Destined!" "Bye!" waved Kellen, with little Kulumon waving as well.

They all waved farewell to Gaiamon and the two preservers, and marched into the wilderness. Kellen then turned to Gennai and gasped, "Hold on, I just counted them. There's twelve." His elder friend nodded, "Yes..?" Kellen raised an eyebrow, "I thought we were expecting thirteen..." Gennai then replied solemnly, "Yes. One of them is missing. But don't worry... We'll find her."

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Wisdom From The Heart

_"Well, we didn't think it'd be easy as it was, but we met one of The Digital Keepers: Gaiamon, the Keeper of the Digital Land. And let me tell you, she's gorgeous! She told us the whole story about her and her sisters created the digital world, and without them it wouldn't have come to life. Now that we know what our mission is, we've started out on our journey to find the other Digi-Keepers. But chances are, we'll find our new enemies first."_

_-Matt_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Five: "Wisdom From The Heart"**

They've traveled through the woods easier than Tai said they would; thanks to their Champion digimon. But by the time they came to the snowy mountain ranges, their digimon were weakened and back to their Rookie forms. "Well," Tai said as he stretched his arms, "let's get moving." Mimi frowned, "Wait a second... You mean we're walking the whole way?" Tai smiled, "No Mimi, we're not gonna walk." Before she can happily reply, he concluded, "We're gonna _march_." She moaned, "Oh… Great." And so, across the barren snowy region, the twenty-four heroes marched… but not without creating their own original marching song.

Begin original song, "Reluctant March;" it's a standard marching song, backed up only by omniscient drumming and piping

Tai

_Left! Left!_

_Left, right, left!_

_Left! Left!_

_Left, right, left!_

_Left! _Company:_ Hup one! Left! Hup two!_

_Left, right, left! Hup! Hup!_

_Left! Hup One! Left! Hup two!_

_Left, right, left! Hup! Hup!_

Company

_We're all in training for what could be one more war_

_Untrained civilians would freeze, or worse_

_Through all the wilderness, our drill will reach success-_

Davis _That is, if training don't kill us first!_

Company

_Over the mountaintop, our drill will never stop_

_Through all the darkness, our strength will thrive_

_River in icy stone, wind chilling through the bone_

Cody _It is amazing we're still alive!_

Tai

_Left! _Company: _Hup one! Left! Hup two!_

_Left, right- _Company: _Hup! Hup!_

Company

_Our bones are bought to break with ev'ry step we take_

_Chances we take on the road to peace_

_Honor and chivalry, matched with artillery_

Ken, resting his head on Davis' shoulder _Please wake me up when the marching's ceased_

Davis _Can't we stop? My knees are shaking_

Veemon _Can't we eat? My stomach's aching_

Yolei _Can't you march without complaining?_

Davis _Raise your arms, an' raise 'em high, if you think we're gonna die!_

Kari _Feels like we've been here forever_

TK _I don't think we've been here ever_

Patamon _Are you saying we got lost?_

Gatomon _If that's the case, then it's-_

Company _ALL TAI'S FAULT!_

Tai: Hey!

Matt: Come on, you guys; five more miles!

Tai

_Left! _Company: _But wait! Left! But why?_

_Left, right, left! But- but-_

Company

_No one said this was fun; thank God it's almost done_

_Hope we are stong enough for the fight_

Davis _One break- is that a crime?_

Company _SHUT UP! GET BACK IN LINE!_

_On we will march until that doomed night!_

_We're all in training for/_ Davis _I don't feel the_

_What could be one more war/ Least bit stronger_

_Untrained civilians would/ I can't take this_

_Freeze, or worse/ Any longer!_

_Marching through wilderness,/ Why'm I here?_

_Our drill will reach success/ It's not my fault_

_Onward, to destiny…_

Davis Come on, guys, you're killing me!

Company _Ne'er we-/_ Davis _Can't we-_

Tai: HALT!

Song ends

They stopped at a crossroad. In the far-off distance, they can see the beach to the left and the highest mountain peaks to the right. Tai turned to his team and stated, "Okay, we all know that Oceanamon lives by the water, and Polarimon is probably in the mountains. This is where we gotta split up and find those two in teams. Now who's going where?" Izzy stepped forward with Tentomon and said, "I already know I'm Oceanamon's Chosen. I'm going to the beach."

Davis stepped forward and replied, "I'll come with you." "I second the notion," replied Matt. Joe stepped forward, "Count me in too." "And me," Cody answered. "Me too!" Ken smiled, as he and Wormmon moved up. Tai then looked to the others and nodded, "Then we'll look for Polarimon. Let's go!" "Good luck you guys," Sora wished to the opposite team. They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

All the while, the shadowed forms of Pridemon and Greedmon looked on. Smiling.

Finally, they were out of the mountain range. Matt led his group into the open plain, where there was a small river. Izzy took a deep breath of the clean air and smiled, "I smell salt water already! We must be closer to the beach than it looks." Tentomon hovered in the air by his partner's side and buzzed, "What exactly are we going to do when we meet Oceanamon, Izzy?" He shrugged, "I'm assuming she'll look similar to Gaiamon, only not a tree." Matt giggled, "If she's as cute as Gaiamon, I'll be happy." Gabumon looked up to his best friend and frowned, "But Matt, I thought you liked Sora." Matt shook his head, "Oh, uh… she and I are at crossroads right now. It's a long story."

"She can be anywhere!" Davis suddenly called out; "in the ocean, or maybe even in this river right here!" He then took to one knee and tapped the babbling brook, smiling, "Hello-o-o! Oceanamon! Are you in there? You can come out now; we don't bite." To his surprise, Cody started knocking on his hard head and joked, "Hello-o-o! Davis, are you in there? Come on out!" Davis swatted him away as the smaller boy laughed, "You really are a knucklehead." Davis balled his fist threateningly; "I'll give you a knuckle! Lots of 'em!" "Guys!" shouted Matt; "Come on, stop fooling around." "Easy for you to say," Davis smirked, getting back up on two feet.

They've been walking for half an hour now, since their previous stop. "Just a few more miles down this road," Izzy pointed out, "and we'll be in one of those towns by the beach!" They stood on a small hill, overlooking the cities by the ocean from the far-off distance. Already, the air had a salty flavor, and the temperature was rising. Gabumon smiled, "I like beaches. Don't you, Matt?" Matt shrugged, "I haven't been to a beach in a long time, Gabumon. At least, not while I was on tour."

Davis was trailing behind, following that same small river that was off to the left side of the heroes. He kept staring at the water, waiting for something to pop out in a half-woman form. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks with a look of surprise. He gasped, "Hey! ...Hey you guys, I thought I saw something!" Sarcastically, Cody called back, "That's great, Davis." Veemon, however, ran back to his human partner loyally. "Come on, you guys!" Davis called back; "It might be Oceanamon!"

Veemon was by his side in no time, and asked excitedly, "Did you shee a girl in the water, Davish?" Davis glared into the flowing river and said, "I... I saw something... It might have been a fish." "Oh, goody!" the little digimon licked his lips; "You found lunch!" Davis let out a soft sigh, and blinked.

During the blink, his eyes caught site of a dark figure in the water. Veemon saw it too and jumped up; "Woah! ...Did you shee that, Davish?" "Yeah!" he grinned, then he looked back to his long-gone friends. He then frowned, "Aw, they're leaving..." Then curiosity, as always, got the better of him. He fell on his knees and looked closer into the water.

As he did, something from beneath the surface started getting darker, as if it was coming up from the depths. Before he and the little blue digimon knew it, there was in fact the indication of a figure in the water. It was big and dark, but it refused to show its face. Davis and Veemon moved in closer... Closer... Finally, the figure beneath the surface showed its eyes. Red, cat-like eyes. Davis, with his eyes bulged with shock, blurted out, "… that's not-"

**SPLASH!**

"AAAAAAUUUUGGGHH!!"

They heard his blood-curdling scream from fifty feet away. "DAVIS!" cried out Ken, and was the first to run back. Following right behind was Wormmon, with the rest of the group tailing behind.

When they finally came back to where he and Veemon were, they found the poor young man being held in the air in the clutches of a huge Shadowmon. He was kicking and squirming, but by the strained look on his face his circulation was cut off almost completely. The Shadowmon, on the other hand, was laughing insanely in a male-female blended voice.

"LET HIM GO!" growled Veemon, and actually attempted his "VEE HEAD-BUTT!" But the large rabbit-like foot of the Shadowmon first blocked him, then kicked him aside. Davis was gasping for air as his face started fading to red. His legs stopped kicking on top of that.

Ken grasped onto his black D3 and hissed at the Shadowmon, "You wanna play rough, huh?"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"WORMMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………… STINGMON!"

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………….. EXVEEMON!"

"GABUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………….. GARURUMON!"

"ARMADILLOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………… ANKYLOMON!"

TENTOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………… KABUTERRIMON!"

"GOMMAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO…………………… IKKAKUMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"Amateurs," hissed the Shadowmon. Just then, a large army of Shadowmon emerged from the small river. Stingmon then looked to Ken, and almost like a child he asked, "May I? Please?" Ken smiled up at him; "Sure."

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

"STINGMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………. DINOBEEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

He caused the earth to tremble when he touched ground as the huge mutant growled, "You ain't calling ME no amateur!" With that, the fight commenced. DinoBeemon, as well as his comrades, charged after those Shadowmon who weren't holding anyone captive.

"...i....can't......breathe..." muttered Davis, still in the grip of the merciless Shadowmon. ExVeemon faced off against the beast, snarling, "Let him go right now, ugly! Or I'll-" Just then, the Shadowmon loosened its grip on Davis and smiled, "Or you'll... what?" Davis started couching and gasping for air as the black mutant continued, "As long as I have this poor excuse for a Digi-Destined, you can't touch me."

Davis, suspended in the air, shouted, "Get 'im, ExVeemon!" ExVeemon crossed his bulky arms over his chest, as if preparing his Ex Laser attack, but the Shadowmon shielded itself with Davis. The blue dragon frowned, "I.... I can't." The Shadowmon laughed hysterically.

DinoBeemon soon enough gave into his hyper-activeness and with one charge he plowed six Shadowmon into the ground. Then in one mighty slam of his fists he plowed them into the earth, deleting them. Ken was beside himself.

The Shadowmon that held Davis by his torso and left leg then started to float in the air. ExVeemon spread his white wings and faced the enemy eye-to-eye. Davis called out, "What are you waiting for!? Get him!" The Shadowmon goated him on, "Yes, you better do something, before I turn into an Ultimate." "You wouldn't dare!" hissed Davis's Champion. Without warning, a black halo wrapped around the Shadowmon; Davis gasped, "Now! Hit 'im NOW!"

Instead of releasing his true power, ExVeemon charged. He tried to swipe at the evil monster, but it zoomed out of the way. Then ExVeemon's met with the Shadowmon's enormous clawed foot, and fell back. Again, he charged and this time he attempted to whack the beast with his tail. But the Shadowmon did a mid-air back flip, avoiding the tail swing with ease. Once its enemy was close enough, the Shadowmon took one claw (with the other holding Davis by the leg) and scratched ExVeemon in the back of the neck. He let out a loud roar in pain; "NO-O!" Davis howled. The Shadowmon giggled viciously.

The other heroic Champions had clean shots of the Shadowmon, but once they pulled out their Shadow Hammers, the good guys were sent running. Except for DinoBeemon, who attacked the enemies with a hurricane of punches. Two Shadowmon tried their Black Saw attack from behind, but didn't even scratch him. Ken blinked, realizing the adrenalin going through his Ultimate digimon's body.

Most of the Shadowmon were running for their lives, but DinoBeemon destroyed them all with one swift "HELL MASQUERADE!" In addition to the Shadowmon, he took out a few dozen trees. Ken gulped, "Uh... Okay... M-maybe you should calm down-" The only thing that really made DinoBeemon pause was the fact that there was only one Shadowmon left: the one holding Davis.

The Shadowmon had Davis by the ankle, and was playfully swinging him in the air. Davis all the while was moaning and wailing both in pain and motion sickness. "STOP IT!" roared ExVeemon; "YOU'RE HURTING HIM!" For one moment, the Shadowmon stopped tormenting Davis just to say, "No... Really?" Then it made him go spinning 'round and 'round like a lasso.

Finally, Kabuterimon charged from behind and rammed the Shadowmon in the back. Even though the Shadowmon took the hit, it still did not release Davis. "Be careful," ExVeemon warned his insect ally. "You fools," hissed the renewed Shadowmon; "A Shadowmon's claws are not only lethal, but once they hold onto something they almost never let go."

Ken caught up with this particular fight and shouted to the Shadowmon, "Just what is it you want from Davis!?" Seeing its victim dangling upside down by his ankle, the Shadowmon grinned, "To see the look of fear in his eyes. But I can see where that will get old. And when it does, I'll kill him." ExVeemon, whose eyes were fuming, growled inhumanely.

Davis, who was now getting a head rush, mumbled, "if only i had a crest; i'd get outta here." Just then, the Shadowmon's head turned, and saw all of its brethren fall like flies in the air, and then they all disappeared. It gasped, and found itself surrounded by enemies. DinoBeemon cracked his knuckles; "You better drop him now." The ink-black creature then hissed; "I'm not finished having fun yet." With that, it shot high in the air, taking Davis with it, and flew clear out of sight. _"DA-A-A-VI-I-I-I-IS!"_ howled ExVeemon.

Deep in Coral Town, all the digimon were hustling and bustling on the streets. There was an outdoor diner where digimon from all over would stop running from their job to their home and back again, and rest up for a while. At the cashier was the most typical of all digimon: a creature who hasn't fully hatched from his digiegg, called DigiTamamon.

One little digimon came up to the bar, weary and dying of thirst. The half-egg looked to him with his beady yellow eyes and said, "Hey there, stranger. Would you like to try today's special?" The small bird with fuzzy purple feathers squawked, "I'm thirsty; please gimmie some water." The half-egg turned to the cashier and replied, "That'll be twenty digi-dollars." "TWENTY!?" Exclaimed the traveler. DigiTamamon shrugged, "Hey, what'd you think it was cheap, Mac?" The little bird then frowned, "My name's not Mac…"

------------ Digimon Card: PENGUINMON ------------

Level: Rookie

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Aquatic Bird

"I'm Penguinmon, and I'm on a personal mission, to find the long-lost Digi-Destined of Humility!"

-Penguinmon

---------------------------------------------------------------

With that he held out a small photo to DigiTamamon and explained, "I've been looking all over for this human. I'm guessing she's already here, 'cause I have her crest. Have you seen her?" The golden eyes that shown from within the cracked egg squinted; "..Nope. Haven't seen any humans around here, buddy. You gonna pay me now?"

Penguinmon then reached further into his little sack... then looked back to DigiTamamon nervously. He gulped, "I... seem to be ten dollars short." The short-tempered DigiTamamon then growled, "WHAT? In that case, you should try jumping in the pool!" "There isn't a pool for miles," moaned Penguinmon. The half-egg huffed, "Hey it's not my problem, Mac." "My name's not MAC- AAAHH!" shouted the little purple penguin, flapping his furry, featherless wings. Losing his footing, the weary traveler then fell off his bar seat. DigiTamamon giggled, "Hehehehee! …Do that again, and I _might_ just give you a discount!"

They were just a mile away from the first beach town. Walking ahead of everyone else were Matt, Izzy and their digimon. Following the group was Ken, who was cradling the grief-stricken DemiVeemon. Wormmon was crawling next to his human partner, looking up at his little blue friend. DemiVeemon normally has big bright red eyes, full of life; but in this point in time they were closed shut with sadness. Wormmon then blurted out, "If it makes you feel any better, you made a great effort in-"

Suddenly, the tiny In-Training digimon's eyes blasted out rivers of tears, as he howled, "I-HI WANT DAVI-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-ISSS! WAAAHHH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-AH..." Ken then stopped in his tracks; "Aw come on, don't cry. I'm sure he's still alive." Matt stopped and turned to Ken with a stern look in his eyes. DemiVeemon sniffled and rubbed his invisible nose, as Ken gently patted his back and murmured, "Ssshhh... It's okay...We'll save him." Matt sighed, shook his head slightly, and pressed on ahead.

Wormmon then bowed his head in shame and muttered, "Ken..?" "Yeah?" the human replied. The little caterpillar nervously said, "I'm sorry I got carried away. I'm usually not like that..." Ken sighed, "It's okay. I know you're excited about your new form. Just try to get it under control." "I'll try," promised Wormmon. Just then-

**BEE-EE-EEP! BEE-EE-EEP!**

"Huh?" Izzy gasped, stopping in his tracks. Everyone stopped and pulled out their D3s or digivices. They were beeping almost in unison, and a small light was blinking from their tiny monitors as well. Matt blinked, "A signal?" "Maybe it's Davis!" Cody smiled, hoping he was right. DemiVeemon's eyes shot open, "Davis?"

Izzy looked at the blinking light on his digivice very carefully. He could see that it was blinking from the very top center of the digivice, and when he moved to the right the light moved to the top left-hand corner. He pointed forward and said, "No doubt about it, something's signaling us from that direction." "Then let's go; it's probably Davis!" Matt suggested. No one gave a sign of disagreement, and they all ran off.

Meanwhile, far away from where his team was, Davis found himself dangling from a long iron chain, and was being lowered down into a canyon. He struggled for freedom, but the chain wrapped around his wrists were too tight. Through his bared teeth, he growled, "Man... How did I get myself into this?" "Oh, that's easy," smiled the Shadowmon that floated beside him; "You were stupid enough to think that I was Oceanamon, and let me capture you."

The chain stopped moving downward as Davis took a breath and asked, "What do you want from me?" The Shadowmon crossed its distorted arms and replied, "I'm finished with you, but not your friends. As we speak, your D3's signal is calling out to your buddies. They'll be lead right to a lake, where my army will be ready for them. Then Oceanamon herself will have to save them, and she'll be all ours!" "You won't get away with this!" growled the human. The black beast giggled, "You crack me up, you know that?" Davis frowned angrily and bowed his head; "...So what, are you gonna finish me now?" The Shadowmon shook its head, "I'd love to, but I'm too busy getting ready to meet your pals at that lake I just mentioned. But right now, it's dinnertime... For Devidramon."

Just then, Davis noticed a small cave at the bottom of the canyon's cliff. Four red eyes burned through the darkness, and out crawled a Devidramon. It was a four-legged beast, and as the name suggested, it was a cross between Devimon and a dragon. Complete with black, torn-up wings. It looked up to Davis and licked its hungry jaws, just as Shadowmon grinned, "He likes meat racks."

Then the floating creature saluted Davis, "Welp, it's been fun but I gotta run! See ya! ....No wait, that's not true." It laughed hysterically, as it jumped away.

Davis looked down to the Devidramon and gulped. As the evil creature spread its wings and took to the air, Davis had a moment to think things over in his head... _This is just great. Everybody's falling in a trap, and it's all my fault. If only I can figure out how to get out of... Wait... I got an idea.... No, that's stupid, totally stupid! Nobody could make it out of that one. _

The Devidramon approached him, sniffing his shoes. He kicked it away, but that would only make the creature pause. Davis thought again, _Well, I could give it a shot. What do I have to lose? ...Uh... My LIFE, maybe...._ The Devidramon opened its gator-like jaws and snapped at the human, but Davis quickly swung out of the way. He found himself rocking back and forth in mid air. Then he smiled as his thoughts rambled on... _I gotta do this! This is my one and only chance. If I fail, at least I'll know I tried! ...Yeah... I'm doing it!_

"HEY!" he suddenly shouted at the beast; "You think you're so tough, huh? I'll bet when my digimon gets here, he'll kick your butt!" The demonic monster bellowed proudly. Davis then mocked him, "Oh, I'm _sooo_ scared! Just wait 'till ExVeemon gets here. He'll turn you into mince meat!" The demon hissed, shaking its head in doubt. "I'm serious," Davis warned him, then the human looked up towards the top of the cliff and gasped, "Oh my gosh, THERE HE IS!" Without thinking, the monster looked to the cliff's top and unleashed its attack, "RED EYE!" It shot a bazooka-worthy laser from its eyes.

The creature's attack annihilated the whole edge of the cliff, and with it the end of Davis's long chain. Lucky for Davis, he wouldn't have to hit the ground down below, for once he started falling he quickly turned what was left of the chain into a lasso. At the same time, Devidramon caught on to the trick, and dove for the human. Davis then sent the chain flying, and miraculously it wrapped around Devidramon's snout- just as Davis planned!

"YES!" Davis shouted; with a sudden jerk he stopped in mid air, now dangling by the chain that met Devidramon on the other side. The beast tried to shake it off, but the chain was too strong; not to mention the fact that Davis's weight made it even heavier. Davis held on for dear life to his end of the chain, not giving in to Devidramon's struggle.

Devidramon crashed onto the ground, growling in frustration. It attempted the attack "CRIMSON NAIL!" but it missed Davis, whose body was sent tossing and turning through the air. The human's grip on the chain was stronger than the demon beast had expected. Soon it was jumping and kicking, like a bull in a rodeo.

It was too caught up in its hyper-active fury to notice the fact that the chain was wrapping 'round and 'round its neck. Davis soon found himself standing on the back of the beast's neck. He gave the chain a mighty tug, and choked the beast. It fell on its side, taking Davis with it.

Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, the human faced off against the monster, one pulling the other by what was left of the chain. Without warning, a golden glow came from the human's crest-less tag. It practically blinded the dragon-like demon, and it howled in agony. "...Now..." growled the victorious human, "...I think it's time.... you an' me... formed some kinda truce.... wouldn'tcha say?..." The beast could do nothing more than a hum in defeat.

Just as the Shadowmon anticipated, the heroes who were once searching for Oceanamon found themselves at a large, peaceful-looking lake. Already, a few of the digimon were in Champion form: Stingmon, Ankylomon and Garurumon. They were stunned, seeing that the entire area was deserted. "This is the right place," shrugged Joe, gazing at his still-blinking digivice. Gabumon looked around and wondered, he be in the water?" Armadillomon smiled childishly, "Maybe he decided to take a swim."

Izzy looked at the dark waters and noticed a small blinking light coming from the center of the lake. He pointed it out; "The signal is coming for out there... in the water." Everyone paused, totally dumbfounded. Ken raised an eyebrow, "If he's been in there for a long time... why is the signal still on?" DemiVeemon looked to the human cradling him and gulped, "You think... y-you think he's..." Ken shook his head, "I don't know... But something's definitely not right about this."

"You're right," said a voice not coming from either one of them. They all looked around, alarmed. Just then, the water bubbled up, and out popped a whole army of Shadowmon... one of them holding Davis's blue D3. "It's a TRAP!" Matt yelled. "Too true," smiled the Shadowmon.

The whole gang of heroes were completely surrounded. The humans gripped onto their D3s or digivices, but then a Shadowmon stepped forward and warned, "Now let's not get all rowdy. We just got here." "Where's Davis?" barked the little DemiVeemon. The creature holding Davis's D3 grinned, "Oh, you mean that stupid kid with the goggles? He's Devidramon food."

The good guys gasped in horror, as the Shadowmon went on, "Oh, and don't get any ideas about turning your stupid digimon into Ultimates. It's too late for that!" Matt clenched his fist; "...We still have a chance." The Shadowmon nodded, "Yes... There is only one person who can save you now." It pointed to the lake and commanded, "Go! Wake up your precious Digi-Keeper of the Seas! I'm sure she'll be happy to see all of you!"

In the far-off distance, a familiar voice cried out, "GU-U-U-U-U-U-U-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-SSS!" DemiVeemon's face lit up with joy, "...It's... Davis!" "WHAT?" shrieked the Shadowmon, looking to the sky in shock.

Begin "Run Around" for background music

There he was, alright. Heading straight for them all, riding on the back of the chained Devidramon. He cried out excitedly, "HERE I COME, READY OR NOT YAAAAAHOO-HOOOO!!" He and his new servant shot through the air, right passed the crowd below; the Shadowmon turned to a few others and commanded, "GET HIM!"

Three of them did as they were told, but right after that DemiVeemon jumped onto the Shadowmon and pried from its hands Davis's D3. "Why you little-" it hissed, ready to swat the little blue digimon. But it was unsuccessful, thanks to Stingmon who punched it from behind. DemiVeemon hugged the D3, and with its power, he suddenly warp-digivolved:

"DEMIVEEMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO….. VEEMON ……EXVEEMON!"

In the air, Davis was being tailed by three Shadowmon. He pulled on the chains like reins, steering Devidramon left and right. The Shadowmon tried to follow, but in contrast to his slow feet, Devidramon was a very fast flyer. He and Davis led the Shadowmon back into the forest, where they zipped by the treetops. One maneuver after another caused the Shadowmon to fly head first into the branches.

Back on the land, the remaining heroes fought off the Shadowmon with full force. Garurumon tossed one Shadowmon into another; Ankylomon swung his mighty tail hammer at them; DinoBeemon performed "HELL MASQUERADE!" and blew more than half of the enemy away. Ken shook his head and sighed, "...It's just a phase... That's all it is, just a phase…"

ExVeemon flew around, looking for Davis, but he was soon met up by a Shadowmon. "SHADOW HAMMER!" it summoned, and with its giant mallet it rammed ExVeemon to the ground. "HANG ON, DUDE!" Davis's voice cried from out of nowhere. The brave human steered Devidramon right for the unsuspecting Shadowmon. "CRIMSON NAIL!" swiped the Devidramon. Shadowmon's Shadow Hammer was unmatched, and it was deleted.

Devidramon then unleashed "RED EYE!" and knocked Shadowmon for a loop. Just when this Shadowmon got its second wind, it was attacked from below by ExVeemon's "EX LASER!" The Shadowmon fell like a rock to the earth.

Song ends

Before Davis could cheer victoriously, another Shadowmon cried out "BLACK SAW!" The attack broke the chains that held Devidramon captive, and it sent Davis falling to the ground. He landed hard on the grass, but was thankfully in tact. And in case you're wondering what became of the Devidramon, it flew away by this point.

"Davis!" cried the nearby ExVeemon. He tried to run to his partner, but was knocked out by the unsuspected "SHADOW HAMMER!" Then this last Shadowmon- ironically the one who started this whole mess- came floating down to its worst enemy. It hissed at Davis, who at this point was lying helplessly on his back. "...you...simple little fool..." it groaned; "...I was gonna letcha down easy with the Devidramon... but now you've made me mad...... BLACK SSSA-A-A-A-W!"

The Shadowmon's killer attack came flying like a bullet to the small human. It would have succeeded in destroying him... if it hadn't been for the neon red light that suddenly blasted from his crest-less tag. This mysterious new energy made the Black Saw stop dead in its tracks. Not just that, but a few pieces of its sharp edges were suddenly cut clean off.

The Shadowmon let out a piercing howl of extreme pain, and it fell head-first to the ground. Davis and ExVeemon were both stunned, gazing in wonder at the miraculous event. The human then looked down to his tag, where the empty jewel band was. Shining in all its glory was a neon red light, right there in the hole of the tag.

The Shadowmon, more stunned than anybody, stood up weakly on its feet. It observed its ruined body; the claws on its feet and hands, and its ears, were all chopped up like shredded paper. It raised its pitiful hands and cried its eyes out, "mm....m-my nails..... he _broke_... MY NAI-AI-AI-HAIL-HAIL-HAIL-HAILSSS!"

The light coming from Davis's crest grew all the brighter. "Uh-huh?" peeped the curious Shadowmon. It crept up to Davis slightly and murmured, "What.... What is that?" Just then the light shot a red-hot laser that basically impaled the face of the Shadowmon. It screamed bloody murder, and then was deleted on the spot.

Then, the light gave way to a small red jewel that only took up a third of the jewel holder. This new piece was located in the semi-bottom, left-hand corner of the jewel holder. It was shaped like a slice of pie, and in the center and edges of this jewel was a strange inscription, written in gold. Davis blinked a few times in amazement, just before he heard a familiar omniscient voice. He heard her say, "Congratulations, Davis."

He gasped, "Gaiamon..." Her voice continued, "You have proven yourself, for a truly noble hero listens only to the wisdom and courage of his heart. And so, you have earned my half of your new Crest." Davis couldn't believe his ears; nor his eyes as he gazed at the not-yet-whole Crest. Then, not thinking of a better reaction, he smiled, "Sweet!"

The others all ran up to him, crying out "Davis! Are you alright? What happened?", etc. Davis was helped to his feet by ExVeemon. He then held out his tag and proudly displayed, "Look! I got a piece of the Crest! ...It's not the whole thing, but at least it's there, finally!" They all said their "Oos" and "Aahs," but then Cody asked, "What is it? I mean, what's your new virtue?" Davis tried to read the not-yet-finished symbol, and shrugged, "I dunno... But I will when Oceanamon and Polarimon give me their halves!"

ExVeemon noogied his human friend; "You were great today! This calls for a party!" Izzy's face lit up with joy; "I'm sure one of the nearby towns has a carnival. Let's go there!" "Yeah!" cheered everybody, and took off for the beach towns.

In the far-off distance, Greedmon and Pridemon looked on. Greedmon scratched his chin and hummed, "Hmmm... You know what this means..." Pridemon's eyes glanced at Davis evilly; Let us meet the others." She turned around, as Greedmon argued, "But he's-"

Pridemon looked back and replied, "HE does not matter. Not now. Come! ...I want to introduce myself to that Tai Kamiya boy." Greedmon took one more look back at Oceanamon's search party... Then followed Pridemon.

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Seven Deadly Sin Digimon

_"On our journey to find the remaining Digital Keepers, we came to a crossroad. The team then split into two; one went off to the mountains while the team I'm currently in traveled to the shores. We ran into Shadowmon on the way, and one of them ran off with Davis. Things looked bad for him, until Davis got this crazy idea of how to get away. By some miracle, it worked and he helped us defeat the remaining Shadowmon. In the end, Davis received just a fragment of his new Crest. Kinda makes you wonder what can possibly happen next, doesn't it?"_

_-Cody_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Six: "Seven Deadly Sin …Digimon"**

"POLA-A-A-ARIMO-O-O-O-ON! …POLA-A-A-ARIMO-O-O-O-O-O-ON!"

High above the earth, on the edge of a cliff, stood the proud Digi-Destined leader, Tai Kamiya. He understood that Polarimon, Keeper Of The Digital Sky, would possibly found somewhere near high ground. So once he got far enough on this particular mountain, he had the crazy idea of calling for her. "COME OUT COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE! WE PROMISE WE WON'T BITE! .......HEY! ........ECHO! ......HA-HA-HA-HA!"

He listened to his echoing voice, and giggled. Then he turned around and finally saw that Sora was right behind him. He jumped and yelled "Gah!" in shock as she declared, "You are such a child." Quickly, he backed himself up; "I-I was just tryin' to call the Digi-Keeper." She sighed, shook her head, and walked back towards the rest of the team, who were ready to go further up the mountain.

TK took a seat away from the others, letting the rocks collected in his shoe pour out. By his side was the little guinea pig-like Rookie named Patamon. The young man turned his head to his digimon partner and finally noticed the frown on his face. "What's wrong, Patamon?" he asked. Patamon replied, "Nothing..." "Come on, you can tell me," smiled TK. Patamon then sighed, "It's just that we haven't seen you guys in a long time, and we never got a chance to be happy about seeing each other again. That's all..." TK nodded, "I know. I feel like we got drafted for a war or something. Get the crew, get to the battlefield, do your part, no questions asked." He then patted the little digimon's head and promised, "Don't worry; as soon as we can, we'll get to celebrate our reunion." "I'd like that," Patamon smiled.

Yolei sat on one boulder, and Hawkmon perched on another. They both gazed at the road ahead, blank-faced and a little worn from their walking. Yolei then turned to the small bird and sighed. Hawkmon sighed back. Yolei scratched her head. Hawkmon scratched his head. Yolei murmured, "Hmm..." Hawkmon murmured, "Hmm..." Then Yolei's face lit up; "That was the best bonding moment I ever had." Hawkmon smiled to her, "Couldn't have said it better."

"Come on, you guys!" Tai announced out of the clear blue; "We should be able to reach Polarimon at the top of this mountain. Let's go!" Nobody else was willing to argue (although they wished they could) and started back on their journey.

Meanwhile, on the very top of that mountain stood all seven Sin Digimon. They were only eight feet (approximately) above the heroes that were searching for Polarimon. Pridemon sneered, then turned around to the millions of Shadowmon that were floating nearby. All were suspended in the air, a few feet away from the mountaintop, waiting for the boss's word.

Pridemon stretched out her wiry arms and announced, "Shadowmon! Thank you so much for waiting patiently. Now comes your moment of glory. In about ten minutes, the Digi-Destined will reach this mountaintop and hope to make contact with a Digital Keeper. Your mission is to block out the sky in the form of an un-penetratable cloud. Canyoudo it!?" "YE-E-ESSS!" they all shouted in unison, which made Greedmon rub one of his ears. "Good," Pridemon calmly replied; "Now GO!"

They took to the sky like rockets. Those pitch-black mutants all joined together as one, soaring higher and higher into the atmosphere. The Sin Digimon looked on, watching the Shadowmon reach the levels of regular clouds. Then in one brief moment they stopped moving, and suddenly digitized themselves. While normally a deleted digimon would disappear, these Shadowmon were still alive; and so, their molecules all gathered together and formed a cloud. An un-natural cloud, just as Pridemon had planned.

The Sin Digimon gazed in wonder at this jet-black cloud, and smiled with satisfaction. Envymon then turned to her leader and frowned, "Now what're we gonna do, Pridemon? If they can't call forth Polarimon, we can't get to her either!"

Pridemon shook her head, "I'm not concerned about Polarimon just yet. I'm actually more worried about the others finding Oceanamon." Greedmon crawled forward and suggested, "I call dibs on the beaches! My army consists of the evil digimon of the waters anyway." "Fine," Pridemon replied; "take the beaches. I don't care either way. Just keep an eye on those children." "Right," Greedmon nodded, and then mysteriously disappeared.

Suddenly, Lustmon stepped forward and grinned, "I want to go with him." Pridemon's head quickly turned to her as she raised an eyebrow; "...Why?" Lustmon childishly giggled, "Well... I want to introduce myself to the Digi-Destined." Pridemon cocked her head slightly; "...You're not going after The Kind One, are you? I know you got a thing for him!" Lustmon batted her eyes, attempting to look innocent; "I just wanna say 'Hi,' that's all." "Fine," growled the leader; "Just don't get carried away." "Thanks!" cheered the most youthful of them all, and then she suddenly disappeared.

Pridemon then looked to the remaining Sin Digimon and smiled, "The rest of us will keep Tai and his team company." They all nodded in agreement.

In the middle of Coral Town, Penguinmon has paused from his personal mission to rest on the corner of a street. Beside him was an Elecmon- a Rookie who had a lizard-like face and body, rabbit-like ears, purple tiger stripes all over his red body, and a peacock-like tail. This particular Elecmon had sunglasses on.

Sipping water from a cup, Penguinmon said calmly, "...So ever since Oceanamon gave me the Crest of Humility, I've been searching far and wide for my human partner. I'm not sure if she's even in this world yet, but she's bound to pop up sooner or later." "That's interesting," nodded the Elecmon. Penguinmon continued, "It's not easy; that's why I've been asking people if they've seen her, or any humans for that matter." "I see," Elecmon nodded once again.

Penguinmon made a brief pause, then took a deep breath and asked, "Have you by any chance seen her?" Elecmon then pulled out his stick- the kind blind people use- and smiled, "I'd be lucky if I've seen anything, my friend." Penguinmon gasped in surprise and apologized, "Sorry! My mistake..." Elecmon adjusted his shades and sighed, "No problem."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"…Now are we there yet?"

"Not exactly."

"…How 'bout now?"

"Nope."

"…Are we there now?"

"Getting there."

"…Are we-"

"NO!"

"Just a little further," TK said, trying hard not to sound as tired as he was. They all treaded up that hill dragging their arms and hunched over like a certain hunchback from Notre Dame. Even the digimon were weakening from the long, leg-cramping climb. "I can't even see anything through this fog," Sora complained. Biyomon, fluttering beside her, replied in all honesty, "I'm just following you, Sora. Don't blame me if we get lost."

Tai joked, "If she falls, you know she went the wrong way." Sora replied harshly, "Just like you, Tai, to always joke around. Even in tough situations." "I get it from Matt," he lied. "I'm getting a headache," complained Mimi as she was trailing behind.

Before they knew it, the fog was lifting, and the road before them was getting clearer. It made Patamon cheer, "Hey, look! I think I can see the top from here." "I see it too!" TK rejoiced. He, Kari, Gatomon and Patamon suddenly found the strength to start running towards their destination. They passed by everybody else, who still looked like they were ready to pass out. "Come on, Kari!" laughed Gatomon as she ran on all fours. "Polarimon, here we come!" panted Kari herself.

Patamon panted, "I can't wait to see all the stars, all the clouds..." When they finally got there, Gatomon's bright blue eyes looked up at the sky and she suddenly frowned, ".....all the infinite darkness...." The whole team raced up there, and the moment they saw the sky they stopped dead in their tracks. All of their heads tilted and stayed that way, as if they were stuck in that position. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. The blackest sky they've ever seen.

Tai muttered, ".....what.....is...this.....?" Agumon frowned, "This is what we were headed for... Isn't it?" "Not a void of darkness!" TK disagreed. Yolei looked to her wrist watch and raised an eyebrow; "It's only 4:35. Unless this is some kind if daylight savings time for the digital world..." "It's not evening yet," Hawkmon shook his head.

Tai's face angered as he gazed at the starless black space above; "....This is not right.... This is supposed to be the right place to find Polarimon. And I know for a fact she doesn't Keep the Darkness." "That's somebody else," reminded Kari; "Somebody evil..." Gatomon readied her claws and pulled back her ears furiously; "Why doesn't he just show himself and get it over with?" Tai gave a nod, "If he is behind this, then we'll set it right. Hit it, Agumon!" "Right," nodded his partner.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"AGUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………………. GREYMON!"

"BIYOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………….. BIRDRAMON!"

"PALMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………… TOGEMON!"

"HAWKMON, DIGIVOLVE TO…………………….. AQUILAMON!"

"PATAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………….. ANGEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The giant orange dinosaur with the brown, horned helmet unleashed, "NOVA BLAST!" The fireball from his mouth went up like a rocket, and smacked into the darkness above. But nothing happened. Everybody else tried their most powerful attacks:

"METEOR WING!"

"NEEDLE SPRAY!"

"BLAST RINGS!"

"LIGHTNING PAW!"

"HAND OF FATE!"

Nothing could penetrate the black cloud that covered the sky like a blanket; they gasped in realization. To their surprise, a familiar-looking face emerged from the cloud. Looking down on them it smiled evilly, "You're gonna have to do better than that!" "It's Shadowmon!" Tai realized.

The face laughed hysterically, then faded back into the cloud. "Oh man," TK blinked; "There must be hundreds of them up there... Thousands, maybe." Kari replied, "We can't let them stay up there; we'll never get to Polarimon if we do." "Right," Tai agreed; "Time for phase two in our operation."

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

"GREYMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………….. METAL GREYMON!"

"TOGEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………….. LILYMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Getting his second wind, Metal Greymon paused at first but then unleashed, "GIGA-BLASTER!" Following the leader, Lilymon unleashed, "FLOWER CANNON!" The two attacks headed straight for the Shadowmon cloud. Unfortunately, it had the same effect that the Champion attacks had: absolutely none. Everybody gasped in horror, while the "cloud" started laughing in a chorus of many different voices.

Sora looked to the leader of the group and suggested, "All together, maybe?" "Sure!" Tai nodded; "It's worth a try... Okay! All digimon, combine your powers as one!" And so it was done:

"HAND OF FATE!"

"LIGHTNING PAW!"

"GIGA BLASTER!"

"FLOWER CANNON!"

"METEOR WING!"

"BLAST RINGS!"

Wouldn't you know it? It didn't work, and the Shadowmon laughed even harder. Tai balled both of his fists and growled, "This is ...unbelievable! Try again, MetalGreymon!" The Ultimate obeyed; he took to the sky on his metallic purple wings and commenced, "MEGA CLAW!" He tried to slash the cloud in hopes to create a hole in it. However, the cloud took no effect, and MetalGreymon flew backwards, roaring in pain as he clutched onto his cyborg claw.

"MetalGreymon!" gasped Tai. The huge cyborg reptile shook his head, then turned to his earth-bound partner and assured him, "I'm okay... Just a little stunned." "Let me try again," Lilymon requested as she gathered up all her inner strength. "Be careful," Mimi warned her.

Lilymon zoomed around in the sky like a pesky insect, as if ready to torment the great black cloud. She was preparing a secondary attack, with which she started flying twice as fast in a hypnotizing syncopation. Once she moved fast enough she summoned, "TEMPTATION!" While she was still spinning in air at great speed, she started glowing warm pink, and gave off golden pixie dust on top of it.

One by one, a few Shadowmon popped out of their cloud form, and started staring at her. Their eyes beamed as if they were under a spell. In fact, they were under a spell; Liliymon had stunned them with hypnosis. When a few Shadowmon froze long enough, Lilymon came at them with full force, slamming her foot in their faces karate-style. "OW!" each one yelped, and fell out of the cloud formation. Only four of them were successfully injured.

"HOLY ROD!" yelled Angemon, pulling out that very weapon. He whacked the four fallen Shadowmon with it, pushing them far away at great velocity. But before the heroes could cheer about it, they came back with "BLACK SAW!"

The Shadowmon just missed hitting the humans, but they fell to the ground hard. The Shadowmon then advanced on the Champions, who took the hits pretty hard. "GIGA BLASTER!" roared MetalGreymon; his mechanic torpedoes emerged from his chest, but only one hit the target. The hit Shadowmon was vanquished, but that left three more. Tai's head rose to the sky as he muttered tiredly, "...How much more of this can we take?"

"I'm serious here! I'm looking for a Digi-Destined," Penguinmon admitted, crossing his flippers. All the while, a Geckomon and Otamamon were busting out laughing at him. Penguinmon whined, "Why don't you believe me?" Geckomon, a small lizard with a horn wrapped around his body, snickered, "...I'm sorry... I'm sorry; we're..... We're not laughing at you!" "You're not?" The little penguin asked. Otamamon, who somewhat resembled a tadpole with small clawed legs, giggled, "I just told him a really funny joke. You wanna hear it?" "No," Penguinmon shook his head; "I wanna find my Digi-Destined partner!"

He then pulled out a photo from his tiny sack and showed it to them as he added, "She looks like this. Have you seen her?" Geckomon and Otamamon took a good look at that photo.... and busted out laughing even harder than before! In dismay, Penguinmon sighed and put the photo away, then started to make his exit. "Wait!" Geckomon pleaded, "Come back! We wanna see that again!" Otamamon added hysterically, "That's even better than the joke I said!"

Poor Penguinmon waddled across a street in the middle of Coral Town, just missing Matt and his company as they crossed his path. Izzy was gazing at the map on his laptop as they were walking and said, "According to this map, Coral Town is one of the main hangouts for aquatic-type digimon. Perhaps the reason why there are particular kinds of digimon here is-"

"LOOKOUT!" Matt called out to him, pulling him backwards. Izzy just missed getting hit by a speeding wagon, pulled by a Unimon. Izzy finally realized that he was walking into a busy street and sweat-dropped; "Oh! ...Geez, sorry Matt." Matt hissed, "Watch where you're going next time."

Davis stretched his weary arms and yawned, "I'm tired of walking. Can we stop for a bite to eat, or at least rest up?" "Yeah," agreed Veemon as he held his empty tummy; "Lunch is soundin' good right about now." "Or ever," added Armadillomon, who was ready to collapse at Cody's feet.

"Lunch sounds good to me too," Ken admitted, finally. Matt rolled his eyes, "Alright, fine. Where do we go?" Joe pointed to a restaurant across the street and suggested, "That place looks nice." Gommamon licked his lips, "Seafood. My favorite!"

Lunch was served in no time, and the heroes conveniently seated themselves by a window that overlooked the distant beach and ocean. As they started to chow down, the waiter- yet another Digitamamon- told them, "Here you go. That'll be fifty digi-dollars." "FIFTY!?" yelled the outraged Joe. Digitamamon huffed, "What'd you expect us to be cheap?" "We don't have fifty digi-dollars," buzzed Tentomon; his human partner added, "We don't have any digi-dollars."

Cody tried to compromise; "I have twenty yen; does that count?" "Yen?" Digitamamon frowned; "What's a yen?" "Japanese currency," Cody explained. The half-egg digimon looked away in a cocky manner; "Sorry kid, but we don't even accept American Express. It's either digi-dollars, or-" Joe bowed his head in sorrow and replied, "Let me guess... we do the dishes?" The waiter nodded, "You've been here before, I see." Joe and Matt moaned in agony; yes, they had been there before, and it was not a pleasant experience.

Out of nowhere, the streets outside trumpeted with the sounds of screams. "What the..." Matt gasped curiously. Gabumon's ears picked up the sound and he gasped, "It sounds like we're under attack!" Digitamamon ran, yelling, "Everybody hit the deck! Secure the dishes! Hold the rice! Move it! MOVE IT!"

The Digi-Destined and their digimon ran outside, avoiding as many panicked digimon as they could. A few feet ahead of them is where they saw two strange figures in the sky. One of them was a black beast, long and thin like a dragon, and had many rows of arms. The other figure was that of a woman, and as soon as she saw Ken, she smiled sinisterly. The humans gasped in awe, and the digimon gulped nervously. Not only because of these new creatures, but because they were surrounded by a dozen Shadowmon.

"SHADOW HAMMER!" summoned the remaining Shadowmon. He whipped out the giant black mallet and whacked Lilymon in the side. Taking the hit a little too hard, she de-digivolved back to Tanemon. Mimi caught her just in time, gasping, "Oh no! Tanemon... Are you alright?" All the seedling could do was wince in pain. The last Shadowmon also hit MetalGreymon in the gut, and he de-digivolved to Koromon. Angemon caught him before he could hit the ground, but at this point things looked bad.

The other heroic digimon that remained were Hawkmon, Biyomon, and Gatomon. And that black cloud was still cast over the sky. Sora sighed, "We spent the whole afternoon fighting only _four_ Shadowmon, and who knows how many more we have to beat?" "We can't keep this up, Tai!" Yolei frowned in despair; "Maybe we should get out of here." "No!" Tai yelled stubbornly; "The only way we can get Polarimon is if we clear out all these bad guys." "But Tai," Kari argued sadly, "our digimon can't keep this up any longer. Angemon and Gatomon are the only Champions we have left." Gatomon frowned, "I wish I could digivolve to Angewomon; then we might have a chance."

Tai growled at the remaining Shadowmon, who started to float back up to the cloud. He called to the beast, "You won't get away with this!" "I just DID!" called back the black monster, now returning to his place in the cloud. Tai turned his head to the earth in despair; not wanting to give up but having no other choice. Mimi looked around and wondered, "...Anybody got any bright ideas? Besides running like crazy out of here?" Tai then looked back up, still angered but finally accepting defeat; "…Yeah. …Let's go."

"Leaving so soon?" a female omniscient voice hummed out of nowhere. The heroes gasped and turned their heads in all directions as the voice said, "Before you go, I would like to introduce myself." TK gulped nervously; "...I.... I hope that's Polarimon." "Oh please," the voice replied in a cocky manner; "She wishes she were me." As she said this, Pridemon made herself known to her opponents, floating in the air. Tai looked up at her and asked, "And just who exactly are you?" With her arms crossed and eyes gleaming, she replied, "I am Pridemon, the first of seven Sin Digimon." "Sin Digimon?" asked the heroes in unison.

"Yes," Greedmon grinned; "Sin Digimon. I am Greedmon, and to my left is Lustmon." "Hi," she waved. Matt asked cautiously, "What exactly do Sin Digimon do?" Greedmon explained, "We're the ones bossing the Shadowmon around, so whenever you get mad at them, you might as well get mad at us." Lustmon added, "The Shadowmon aren't the only ones under our control."

Pridemon smiled, "It's true. All over the digital world, different virus attributed digimon are taking our side. Our army grows stronger every day, until it's strong enough to conquer this world." Tai yelled, "Oh yeah? Then if you're so tough, why don't you fight us now?" The dark woman snickered, "I would, but then I'd just be wasting my time."

"What do you want, then?" Davis demanded to know. Greedmon replied, "We're looking for The Digi-Keepers, just like you. The only difference is, once we find them we're gonna relocate them to the Dark Realm. That's our primary objective."

"This changes everything," TK muttered; "It's kinda like what Matt said." "What'd he say?" Kari asked; TK answered, "It seemed like all of this was happening on purpose... and it is!" Pridemon explained, "Oceanamon moved all her digimon to the beaches, thinking they'll be safe. But as we speak, my associate- Greedmon- is taking over those lands. Plus, Envymon is moving into Gaiamon's territory, and I'm taking over this one. Before you know it, no one will be safe from us! Not even the Digi-Keepers!"

"We'll never let you have 'em," Davis warned Greedmon. The dark dragon-like beast giggled, "I'd just love to see you try..." He then looked down to Ken, and suddenly his grin turned from evil to somewhat friendly-like. "Hey!" he cheered; "Aren't you Ken Ichijouji, the so-called Kind One?" "I am the Kind One," Ken replied angrily. Greedmon crossed his many arms and said sternly, "Yes, I know who you are. Or rather, who you were. I remember when you were taken in by the Darkness and became The Digimon Kaiser. Tell me, boy; what ever happened to that charming young man who tried to conquer this world?" Ken looked away and growled, "He's dead..." Greedmon, honestly disappointed, frowned, "That's a shame." Suddenly, Wormmon called out, "You leave him alone, you big bully!"

Greedmon's attention had suddenly turned to the little green caterpillar standing near Ken's feet. The one with the bright blue puppy dog eyes, and pale green coloring, and pink clawed legs, a dark blue mandible, and a reddish marking on his forehead. He had long green antennae, two pink stingers on his tail... But those big blue eyes… those were new.

He gasped in shock, "...you...." Wormmon blinked twice, "Y-eah?" Greedmon's eyes glared in confusion; "How... How is it possible? I thought you were destroyed... _permanently_..." Wormmon's face angered, "It takes more than a few pushes and shoves to delete me, mister." Then the dragon-like creature with deep green eyes backed away and smirked in realization, "Aaah, I see. Reformatted, are you? Well... That changes things." The little green digimon cocked his head in curiosity; "What are you talking about? Do I know you? ...Personally?" The Sin Digimon turned his head away in a cocky manner; "...Wormmon, is it? That your new name? Heh... You can call yourself whatever you want." He then bowed his head closer to him and softly sneered, "I know who you _really _are."

"Back off!" barked the human close by with balled fists. He turned to Ken and hissed, "I wasn't talking to _you_, boy!" Ken then demanded to know, "Whatdya got against Wormmon? He didn't do anything to you!" The shadowy beast crossed his many arms and replied just as harshly, "Let me get this straight. You're telling me that this creature that you call 'Wormmon' is your digimon partner?" "Yeah, that's right," Ken nodded.

Greedmon paused for a minute, then before they all knew it, he cracked a smile. Then he started to giggle. Then he chuckled slightly louder. Then he busted a gut as he laughed out loud. The whole time, Wormmon, Ken and the whole heroic Chosen stared at him, all confused. Then the Sin Digimon turned to Lustmon and shouted, "You hear that!? Of all digimon chosen to protect the Bearer of Kindness, he gets the most defective of them all!" Suddenly all of the evil creatures around them blasted with laugher.

Ken looked up to them all and shouted, "STOP IT!" Greedmon chuckled, "But it's funny!" Feeling incredibly insecure, little Wormmon crawled behind his human partner so that no one could see him. Greedmon's laughter finally calmed down as he smiled sinisterly, "...Ah... Thanks, '_Worm-_mon;' I needed that. But right now we have to get back to business."

Tai and his company glared at Pridemon with newfound anger as she said, "Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I really must be going. You might as well do the same, because those Shadowmon in the sky aren't moving!" TK looked to Tai and asked softly, "How're we gonna find Polarimon? Where are we gonna go?"

Tai paused briefly, but then decided, "We might as well travel to the beaches, where the others are searching for Oceanamon. At this rate, our chances of finding her are much better than finding Polarimon." "Yes," Pridemon nodded, "go find Oceanamon. And say 'Hi' to Greedmon while you're down there. I'm sure he'd love to meet all of you!" With that, she broke into hideous laughter, and disappeared. All the heroes could do is look on in dismay.

"Shadowmon!" Greedmon roared to his company. The twelve Shadowmon looked to him, and he commanded, "Keep these little insects busy while I set camp at the beach." The two Sin Digimon then disappeared, and the Shadowmon turned to their enemies. "You heard the man," said one Shadowmon to its brethren, and they all flew to the earth-bound heroes.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"GOMMAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………….. IKKAKUMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"HARPOON TORPEDO!" summoned the giant white walrus known as Ikkakumon. The Shadowmon scattered, but Joe warned his Champion, "Be careful; there's twelve of them!" Tentomon replied, "Don't worry, Ikkakumon; we're on our-" Unfortunately, the little beetle was cut off by a Shadowmon, whose huge claw grabbed hold of him completely. "TENTOMON!" Izzy cried out in horror.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"WORMMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………. STINGMON!"

"GABUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………… GARURUMON!"

"ARMADILLOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………… ANKYLOMON!"

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO…………………….. VEEMON! ….Veemon?"

------------ End Vision ------------

Veemon rubbed his tummy and groaned, "Oh no... I'm still not strong enough. The Shadowmon all grinned to each other, and in unison they summoned "SHADOW HAMMER!" One by one, the digimon heroes fell like swatted flies. In fact, the Champions made a dog pile of each other, while Tentomon was flicked by the Shadowmon that held him, and he crashed right onto Veemon. The two of them fell unconscious.

The only Champion left standing was Ikkakumon, who was overwhelmed by the Shadowmon. One of those beasts grinned, "You like the water, do ya?" "Don't do it!" warned Joe, showing the fear in his eyes. A Shadowmon took its Shadow Hammer, and readied it like a golf club towards Ikkakumon. The Shadowmon smiled viciously, "Hope it ain't too cold for ya!" With that, it swung the Shadow Hammer and sent Ikkakumon flying in the air, roaring all the way.

"IKKAKUMO-O-O-N!" Joe howled, running to the top of the hill. He stopped at the top and could only see the distant ocean. Ikkakumon was nowhere in sight. The Shadowmon high-fived each other, then disappeared in a chorus of evil laughter.

"No..." Joe muttered sorrowfully, dropping his shoulders weakly. The others ran to him; Davis panted, "....Where is he?" "Sent away," Izzy frowned; "...To the ocean, perhaps." Matt crossed his arms; "Well that's stupid! Gommamon is a water-type digimon; sending him to the ocean was a big mistake." Joe replied softly, "...Maybe.....Unless...." "Let's not stay here any longer," suggested the small Cody; "Let's get to the ocean before he gets hurt!" They all nodded in agreement, and hit the road once again.

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. Gommamon's Undersea Adventure

_"We were just about to reach the mountaintop, where we hoped to find Polarimon. But the bad guys beat us to it, and formed a cloud so that our chances of summoning the Digi-Keeper of the Sky would be hopeless. Just when things couldn't get any worse, we ran into a Sin Digimon named Pridemon. Meanwhile, Matt's team had to put up with Greedmon and Lustmon. In the end, poor Gommamon was knocked into the ocean. Now that we know who are main enemies are, we're more determined than ever to find the Digi-Keepers... I just hope Pridemon doesn't find them first!"_

_-Sora_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Seven: "Gommamon's Undersea Adventure"**

Deep in the blue-green sea, schools of trout zipped by. The sunlight beaming through the water from above hit them, and when it did they gave off a flash, almost like lightning. Bubbles danced in a ballet as they lifted to the surface. The seaweed gently swayed with the currents of the ocean. It was a beautiful and serene place for anyone- human and digimon alike- to be. But one particular digimon- a small seal-like one with white fur and purple stripes- was lying unconscious at the very bottom.

Already, Davis was unbuttoning his yellow Hawaiian-style shirt with blue floral designs, saying excitedly, "Aw man, I'm so glad we made it to the beach! If I had to stay in that hot sun any longer, I'd start to melt." As he tore the shirt off, leaving the white undershirt on, Veemon smiled to him; "Oh great thinking, Davish! Now you'll be able to melt in the water and get washed away." As Davis started to take off his undershirt, he shot an evil look at his digimon friend, who took no offense at all.

Joe looked longingly at the deep blue sea before him and sighed, "...He's out there somewhere, I just know it. He may be in danger too." Nearby, Matt was taking off his shoes and he replied, "Relax, Joe. This place is swarming with water-type digimon, and most of them are our allies. Besides, Garurumon is a great swimmer; he'll help us find Gommamon." Ken was carefully removing his deep red shirt, revealing his black undershirt.

Wormmon watched him with a sad look in his big blue eyes. Ken finally noticed, and asked, "What's wrong?" Wormmon looked down to the sand and frowned, "You're going in the water?" Ken nodded, "Yeah, I wanna help find Gommamon. Are you coming?" Wormmon bowed his head sadly, "I can't swim." Ken gasped, "...Oh... I'm sorry." "It's okay," lied the caterpillar; "I'll just digivolve to Stingmon and fly around in the sky... It might not do much good, but-"

"Are you still freaked by what Greedmon said?" Ken interrupted solemnly. Wormmon cringed slightly, and Ken took this as a sign of "Yes;" he replied, "Look, it's okay; don't listen to him." Wormmon hummed insecurely, eyeing the sand again. "See ya, guys!" announced Davis as he and Veemon charged into the water. Ken called out angrily, "HEY! Wait for US!"

Matt took off his black shirt and shoes, so all he had were his dark blue jeans. Ken followed him to the water, with his dark tan pants and black undershirt. Garurumon dipped one of his huge claws in the water, but then jumped in shock, shaking his paw; "AHH! It's cold! It's cold! It's really cold!" After glancing at the shocked humans behind him, he giggled, "Heh-heh. Just kidding."

"Surf's up!" cheered Matt, as he, Ken and Garurumon charged into the water. Once they got deep enough, Matt climbed onto Garurumon's back, and signaled to Joe, "Come on, Joe! I know you wanna come out here." Joe gulped, "I... I still can't swim." "You wanna save Gommamon?" coaxed Matt, and made Joe run to him yelling, "Gah! I'm coming!"

Izzy, Cody and the rest of the digimon team stayed behind, on the sand. Cody looked to Izzy and said, "I guess we're the lookouts." "I guess," Izzy nodded.

Gommamon's weary eyes fluttered. He'd been unconscious for quite some time now, but he finally awoke. He rolled onto his little tummy and rubbed his head with his purple-clawed flipper. That's when he saw tiny bubbles. He gasped in surprised, looked around, and realized that he was underwater this whole time!

"Ugh..." he moaned, still feeling dizzy. His mind started racing; "Boy oh boy... I'm usually thankful to be in the water, but right now I wanna find dry land... Where the heck am I? ....Where's Joe?...."

"GO-MMA-MOO-O-ON! ...GO-O-OMMAMO-O-O-O-ON! WHERE ARE YOO-OO-OO-OOU?"

"He can't HEAR you, Joe!" yelled Davis, who was swimming beside Garurumon; "Why don'tcha try calling him underwater?" The tall young man that was sitting on the back of the giant wolf digimon sweat-dropped; "This wasn't such a good idea. I can't swim, and yet here I am in the middle of the ocean, miles away from the shore! Garurumon, do you know where you're going?" "No idea," confessed the giant wolf.

Tugging at his tail was Veemon; he said, "Come on, Garurumon, faster! I wanna water ski." "Some help you are," Joe snapped at the little dragon. Veemon frowned, "Hey, I was just thinking; since we're out here we can have some fun." Matt, who was swimming nearby, replied sternly, "We're looking for Gommamon; we're not supposed to be having fun." Just then, Veemon pointed to the far left and told them, "Ken's having fun!" "What!?" gasped Joe and Matt.

Sure enough, they spotted Ken in the distance, playing water volley ball with a few Gizamon. "KEN!" shouted Matt furiously, making The Kind One drop the beach ball. He whipped his head back to Matt in surprise; "Huh? W-what?" "Just what do you think you're DOING?" cried out the group leader; "Get your lazy tail back over here and help us find Gommamon!" Adding to Ken's sudden humiliation were the giggling Gizamon; one pointed to him and accused, _"Ooooo, you're buste-e-e-e-e-ed!" _"Shut up!" splashed the human, and he started to quickly swim back to the search party.

Gommamon has been swimming for over two hours now, and he knew that the sun was beginning to set. The water was getting slightly darker, and the sunlight that beamed through the water was getting fainter as well. The little seal sighed to himself; "...I've looked everywhere. I already went to five beaches, and none of them led to Coral Town. No sign of humans, either... My flippers are getting tired."

He slowly made his way to a small rock covered in seaweed and rested on top of it. His lime green eyes, round as a puppy dog's, looked like they were ready to cry in sorrow. On top of his sadness, he was also worn out, and now that he was nested in seaweed he was all the more ready to fall asleep.

But just as he laid his head down, his ears picked up a noise. "Huh?" he gasped, looking up alarmed. He whipped his head back and forth, but the area still looked barren. There weren't even little fishes or crustaceans hanging around. Thinking it was just his imagination, Gommamon yawned and tried to fall asleep again.

Then he heard a louder noise- as if a big fish was swimming nearby. Taken by surprise, Gommamon jumped up and turned his whole body around to see what it was. After looking behind him and still seeing nothing, he sighed and looked ahead. Then out of nowhere, there she was; looking right at him! "GAH!" he exclaimed, his flippers swimming in reverse rapidly. Then he stopped to pant, staring bug-eyed at this creature. A mermaid.

Her human form, from her head all the way down to her waist, resembled the classic mermaid look. What looked like a dress that was cut from her bust went down to her hips and formed into her very long, dark blue tail. The tail almost looked like it had no end, thanks to its length; but sure enough Gommamon saw the massive, light blue fins at its end. There were other fins too, ones that were smaller and ran down the tail from its top and bottom. The mermaid's face was most intriguing of all- long brown hair that flowed with the ocean current, an innocent, child-like smile, and two big blue eyes- as dark as the sea. Eyes that mirrored Gaiamon's green ones.

Gommamon was mesmerized, and said softly, "...I've never seen a digimon like you before..." The mermaid just smiled. Gommamon smiled back, blushing slightly; "I-I'm Gommamon. I'm... kinda lost." The mermaid gave a nod, as the seal continued, "I'm looking for the beach that leads to Coral Town- my friends are there. There's this human named Joe, a-and he's my partner, you see, and..."

Without uttering a word, the mermaid turned her lengthy body around and started swimming away. "W-w-wait," Gommamon gasped; "Where are..." He didn't need to finish his question, for the young mermaid turned to him pleasantly, and with her human arm she signaled him to come with her. "...ah..." Gommamon muttered, and followed her.

Armadillomon and Wormmon were building a sand castle, as Izzy and Tentomon played lookouts at a nearby tower. Cody was coming their way with food, when suddenly a small digimon skidded his way, almost tripping him over. "Woah!" gasped the young boy, trying to hold himself steady. Then he looked down, at the small purple penguin that fell at his feet.

Cody stepped back and gazed at it, blinking, "...What... Who are you?" The little aquatic bird sat up and shook his head, and as soon as his eyes fell on the humans', he jumped up and cheered, "A human! Oh my gosh, I don't believe it! I found a human!" Cody, taken by surprise, nodded, "Ye-yeah, I am a human. M-my name's Cody." The little bird was so excited he started swaying back and forth, as if he was about to break into a victory dance.

Then he replied, "I'm Penguinmon! I've been looking all over this place for a Digi-Destined." "A Digi-Destined?" the boy gasped; then he pointed to himself and admitted, "Well.. I am." The little purple penguin nodded excitedly, "Yes, yes I see! You hold on your wrist the Crest of Justice!" Cody looked to the thick bracelet on his arm and sighed, "Oh yeah... I almost forgot I had my own crest. I'm used to having the digi-mentals."

The penguin flapped his flipper-like wings and smiled, "Would you by any chance have run into another like yourself? Another Digi-Destined?" Cody nodded, "Yes; there's twelve of us." The penguin shook his head, "No... There are thirteen."

"..THIRTEEN?" Cody's voice was picked up by his friends- particularly his own digimon. Armadillomon gasped, "Cody?" and ran off from his sand castle. Izzy and Tentomon took their binoculars and focused on Cody and the strange new digimon they've never before seen.

Armadillomon ran up to Cody and panted, "Cody, what's wrong?" Cody pointed to Penguinmon, and not believing what he was saying he answered, "This little digimon says that there's one more Digi-Destined that we don't know of yet." "Huh?" blinked the confused armadillo; he turned to the penguin and asked, "Is that true?"

Penguinmon scratched his head and frowned, "Wow, I thought you all knew each other by now. There are thirteen of you Digi-Destined that I know of." Armadillomon smiled, "You must mean one of the International Digi-Destined." The penguin shook his head, "No. The original thirteen are all from the land you call Japan." Cody blinked twice; "...I don't believe it! _Another _Digi-Destined?"

By now, the other land-bound heroes joined the group. Izzy and Tentomon looked to each other, exchanging confused expressions. Izzy shrugged, "There always seems to be a new Digi-Destined whenever we come back here. In our first adventures, Kari was the latest recruit." "Yes," interrupted Penguinmon; "In the beginning, one of Polarimon's Chosen was missing." Cody added, "Then it was me, Davis, Yolei and Ken." Penguinmon replied, "Yes, Ken was Gaiamon's missing Chosen, since he was turned evil." Izzy looked to the little penguin and gasped, "Are you saying that each of the Digi-Keepers has a missing Chosen One?" Penguinmon smiled, "Yeah, and this time it's one of Oceanamon's Chosen. Observe!"

With that, he held out his small dark sack, reached in, and pulled out a bracelet that copied Cody's. The jeweled crest was a dark purple, and the symbol itself- a diamond- was sky blue. Penguinmon held it out for all eyes to see and said, "This is the Crest of Humility." All eyes blinked and all voices gasped in "Oos" and "Aahs."

Wormmon asked, "Okay then, who's the Digi-Destined?" Penguinmon looked back into his sack while replying, "Well, since she's one of Oceanamon's, I figured I would find her here." "It's a girl?" Cody smiled. Penguinmon's eyes focused into the sack as he answered, "Yes... I'm trying to find her picture... I had it in here..." His flipper-like wing reached in as far as it could, but nothing came out. He broke into a sweat as he gasped, "Where is it? ...Oh my gosh, where is it?"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Izzy said, waving his hands; "Calm down-" But the penguin refused, and he started hyperventilating, "I... I musta dropped it somewhere! Or maybe somebody else stole it. Oh, man! ...I... I gotta find it, or I won't-" Cody patted his back; "Relax, we'll find her. Do you remember her name?" Penguinmon paused, thinking deeply; ".....It started with 'J'.... Jan? .....Jamie? No.... Oooh, I forget..." He started to get misty-eyed and sniffled.

Suddenly a wave came in, carrying Davis and Veemon. They ran to the shore as soon as they spotted their friends, and once they got there Davis panted, "Hey, you guys, we're back! ...Wha- what's going on?" Penguinmon sniffled again as Cody explained, "Davis... This digimon here is one of us, apparently. There's a thirteenth Digi-Destined." Davis jumped back and gasped, "WHAT!?" Veemon, just as surprised, gasped, "...Wait, isn't thirteen an unlucky number?"

Penguinmon finally cleared his throat and stopped crying. He took a deep breath, retrieved the Crest of Humility from Izzy, and said, "I'm sorry... I've wasted your time. You guys go on, do what you were doing before." "Hold up," Davis insisted; "Tell us who you are, and who your human partner is." The little penguin looked to him and frowned, "I'm Penguinmon, but I don't know who my human partner is. All I know is she's a girl, she's one of Oceanamon's Chosen, and I have a picture of her. But I gotta go find it; it's the only way we can point her out."

Davis blinked, "...Uh... Are you sure? We can help." Penguinmon shook his head, "No... This is my responsibility. I must see this thing through... alone." He then started waddling away, back to the city with his head bowed to the ground. He said sadly, "I'm really sorry about barging in on your missions." "Where are you going?" Veemon asked; Penguinmon replied without looking back, "There's a city not too far from here called Metal-Tropolis. I'll try to find my human partner there. Goodbye..." They all paused to look to each other, wondering which among them would stop or follow him. But they all stayed put and watch him sadly waddle away.

There was very little sunlight left, making it harder to see underwater. But Gommamon had a lot of trust in his new, quiet friend. He was being led by a mermaid with a long blue tail, toward what he hoped was the beach of Coral Town. Along the way, he started making a one-sided conversation with the strange new creature:

"...So then I say to the Shellmon, 'I dare you to go up to her and ask her out!' but he said, 'I dunno; I don't think I'm her type.' And feeling silly as usual, I asked, 'Oh, does she like machine types instead?'" The mermaid looked to him with a silent smirk, and he shrugged, "He didn't think that was funny."

The journey went on, as did Gommamon's story: "But I felt sorry for him, 'cause it's not every day a Shellmon gets a soft spot for somebody. So I tried to coach him by saying, 'Look buddy, everybody gets a one-time chance in life, and this is yours! Sure, it's okay to be nervous, but you gotta come out of your shell sooner or later! giggles Get it? Shell? ...He's a Shellmon....... He didn't think that was funny either."

Suddenly, the mermaid stopped swimming, and looked very alarmed. "What's wrong?" Gommamon wondered in concern; "Are we almost there? ...Do you see something? What is it?" The mermaid's face drew fear, and she started to turn around quickly. The little seal frowned, "Wait, where're you going? Isn't Coral Town that way?" Still not talking, the mermaid made a sudden getaway as fast as she could. All the while, Gommamon beckoned, "Wait! Come back! ......Mermaid?......" Poor thing didn't see the Shadowmon behind him, and it was too late for him to avoid getting swiped by the monster's claws.

Gommamon was swatted like a fly, and hit the ocean floor hard. He shook his aching head, and looked up in surprise, "...oh no..." Not only was there one Shadowmon, but three of them! Gommamon knew he was too weak to digivolved, so he desperately summoned his Rookie attack: "MARCHING FISHES!" His fish-torpedo attack just tickled his enemies. One of them advanced on him, when suddenly-

"ICE ARROW!" somebody shouted. Suddenly, the Shadowmon was overcome by a huge icicle. It knocked it right into the stone wall, and was deleted. Gommamon blinked in surprise, and turned around nervously. Sure enough, there before him was a giant blue-green serpent, with a golden-armored face and big blue cat eyes. "Seadramon!" gasped the little seal.

------------ Digimon Card: SEADRAMON ------------

Level: Champion

Attribute: Data

Type: Aquatic Beast Digimon

"Not just _any_ Seadramon; I'm _Michael's_ Seadramon! I've camped out here ever since I found out Oceanamon was in town. Anybody who messes with me OR her will face my 'Ice Arrow!'"

-Seadramon

--------------------------------------------------------------

The other two Shadowmon gasped at the giant serpent, as he advanced on them. They darted his charge with their Black Saw routine, and with such they tried to slice him. But their enemy was incredibly agile in the water, and avoided them with ease.

He whacked the two of them with his great tail, sending them flying through the water. From there, they looked to each other, and decided to swim away.

"Wow!" Gommamon cheered; "Long time no see, old buddy! I hardly recognized ya." "Well," smiled the giant sea monster, "it's kind of hard to tell me from any others like me anyway. So... Is Michael here?" Gomammon frowned and shook his head; "Sorry... I heard Mimi say that he wanted to come, but he's needed back home in America." Seadramon frowned, "Aww... He's missing all the action!"

Gommamon giggled in doubt; "Actually there's not much around here except for Sin Digimon and Shadowmon." Seadramon disagreed, "Actually, I have to show you something. You're gonna love this!" The great beast turned its snake-like body around. Gommamon curiously followed.

Seadramon led Gommamon to a large coral reef, flooded with shells, seaweed and anomies. There were various tropical fish- even an eel. The highlights of the sea flowers and coral made the bubbles that spouted from below sparkle with rainbow prisms.

Gommamon observed it and sighed, "This is pretty and all, but..." Seadramon directed his head to a small cavern, well hidden within the pink and yellow anomies; "Look in here," he said calmly. Gommamon did as he was told; he swam over to the small cave, peered in... and gasped in shock. Inside were three familiar-looking gold medal chains... with three even more familiar-looking jewels. Gommamon's eyes lit up; "....It's.... The new Crests of Friendship, Knowledge and Reliability!"

Indeed; one chain held a navy blue medallion with the brighter blue symbol of Friendship in its center. The middle chain held a bright silver medallion with the black symbol of Reliability in its center. And to the far right was the third gold chain with a bright orange medallion with the purple symbol of Knowledge in the center.

Gommamon was overwhelmed with joy, as he cheered and hugged his reptilian friend; "YOU DID IT! YOU FOUND THEM! THIS IS SO AWESOME, MAN! I LOVE YOU!!" Seadramon laughed, "...Okay, calm down... So you're absolutely sure these are the Crests?" Gommamon nodded, "I'm absolutely sure about everything I just said! ......Except that part about 'I love you.'"

Seadramon would have responded, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of roaring beasts. Both he and Gommamon looked behind them, and coming straight for them like two black torpedoes was the pair of Shadowmon. In the middle of their attack, they merged together and morphed into a creature similar-looking to Seadramon, but bigger, and red.

------------ Digimon Card: WARU SEADRAMON ------------

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Aquatic Dragon

"Uh-oh, they just became Waru Seadramon. He's basically the evil version of Mega Seadramon; my Ultimate form. When he picks a target, he won't quit until it's destroyed!"

-Seadramon

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DARKSTROM!" roared the mutant creature, spraying an inky black torrent of power from his jaws. It just missed Gommamon, but it hit Seadramon pretty hard; he crashed into a cluster of coral. "Oh no!" gasped Gommamon, who was then hit from behind. He crashed into the sandy ocean floor, and saw that there were five other Shadowmon that came from behind them. Three of them commenced their Black Saw attack, and this time they hit Seadramon on target, one by one.

"Leave him alone!" roared the little white seal, and he charged after the Shadowmon. But Waru Seadramon wrapped his great red tail around the Rookie. Gommamon tried to push himself out of the grip, but it was too much pressure for him to take. He started coughing and wheezing for air.

Seadramon unleashed, "ICE ARROW!" and shot three of them at the Shadowmon. Then the sea beast charged at the Virus Ultimate version of himself at full force. They butted heads and whipped tails. One bit the other, and vice versa. Finally, Waru Seadramon was too busy fighting his Champion likeness, and released Gommamon.

Gommamon, out of breath, started falling down towards the coral reef. He landed right on top of the reef where the crests were hidden. His left claw just barely touched one of the hidden jewels, and suddenly he saw a silver glow. He looked down, and saw that the Crest of Reliability was reacting to his presence. Carefully he picked it up, his eyes gazing in wonderment. "I... feel the power!" he muttered. Then a great flash of energy just burst right through the water-

The last ray of sunlight disappeared, but the darkness couldn't hide the explosion of water. Everybody that was present on the beach saw it- a giant tidal wave that shot up like a volcano eruption. Joe's eyes bulged, "...w...what's that?" From the tidal wave emerged a giant, multi-spiked object. It had a dark sea green shade to it, and the evening sky made it even darker. What made it even harder to see what it was, was the fact that it was far off from the shore. Whatever it was, it was big. And growing.

But just then, Joe's eyes took a good look at it. The image mirrored in his glasses. He knew it was a giant tortoise shell... and who it belonged to: ".....Zudomon...."

He was right. Zudomon's body completely emerged from the tidal wave in all his glory. He was a giant; a cross between a humanoid walrus, and a tortoise. He had a horn on his forehead that bent like a harpoon. And proudly held in his hand was a big silver hammer.

None of the humans could believe their eyes, as they witnessed the great water beast dive right for a Waru Seadramon that shot out of the sea like a cannon. Zudomon rode the huge tidal wave gracefully, proving how dominant he was in the water. As he sped toward the shore, Waru Seadramon followed him, fast as a torrent. "DARKSTROM!" he roared, unleashing his dark energy at Zudomon. But the Ultimate version of Gommamon had a shell that wasn't so much as scratched by Waru Seadramon's attack.

Following this struggle were Seadramon and the Shadowmon. The Shadowmon came at him with their Shadow Hammers, but he responded with his Ice Arrows.

It wouldn't be long until Zudomon finally made it to shore. His left claw stayed balled until he was close enough to those on shore whom he had been separated from until now. Once they were in sight, he opened his claw and tossed three golden chains out to them. Matt, Izzy and Joe caught them, and realized that they held in their hands their re-vamped crests and tags. Matt then shot a sly smile to Izzy, and he did the same. They had been waiting for this.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

(Just as Gaiamon's Chosen do it; Oceanamon's Chosen hold up their crests with a black silhouette of their hands. Then, where the crest power merges into data, the vision of Oceanamon as a blue spirit blows a kiss. Her form then digitizes into the new data stream. From there, the original vision takes over)

"GARURUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..............................WERE GARURUMON!"

"KABUTERIMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..........................MEGA KABUTERIMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"Oh no," muttered Waru Seadramon. Mega Kabuterimon- a towering red beetle with six arms and a horn on his face that only a fool would dare reckon with- took to the sky and headed right for the enemy. His six arms grabbed the red sea monster and had him in a death grip.

Meanwhile, Were Garurumon and Zudomon charged for the Shadowmon. He wasn't as big as his Champion form, but Were Garurumon proved to be more powerful. With the agility of a human, he jumped from Zudomon's shell and from there he was airborne- if only for a few seconds. There, he had a clear shot of the group of Shadowmon and unleashed, "WOLF CLAW!" His killer scratch attack was all it took, and the Shadowmon were wiped out.

Zudomon came to Mega Kabuterimon and informed him about the Waru Seadramon, "He's two Shadowmon in one; let's hit 'im with both our powers." "Right," agreed the giant beetle, releasing his opponent. The Waru Seadramon was having difficulty recooperating from the grip he was just in. That's when Zudomon took up his hammer and yelled, "VULCAN'S HAMMER!" while Mega Kabuterimon shot lightning from his horn attack, "HORN BUSTER!" Both electric attacks were more than enough to make the mutant Ultimate vaporize.

A few minutes later, the humans and their digimon- those who were Ultimates were now In Trainings- rested on the beach, reflecting on what had happened. Matt and the other Oceanamon-Chosen were proudly wearing their new tags and crests around their necks. Gommamon's In-Training from was called Pukamon, and he was a gray, almost reptilian version of the furry white seal. But Joe was glad to have him back either way.

Seadramon sat himself right where the tide was rolling in; he was ready to head back into the water. Joe looked to him and said, "So Pukamon tells me he might have seen Oceanamon?" Seadramon nodded, "Yes. I've seen a mermaid in the ocean too, and that's who led me to your crests." Pukamon, who was not as subdued to gravity as the others were, replied, "I thought it was her! But whenever I tried to talk to her she didn't say a word." Izzy then guessed, "Perhaps she was keeping quiet so that the Shadowmon couldn't hear her. I mean, with those big ears of theirs, I'm sure they can pick up sound from miles away."

Seadramon then said, "I should go back to the ocean. If she's still out there, I'll keep all those Shadowmon at bay." "You can't do it all alone," Matt argued, but the blue-green sea serpent answered, "I won't be alone. I got buddies out there who are still looking for her. And who knows? Maybe you guys will run into her on land one of these days." Seadramon then whirled his body around and headed back into the sea, while everyone on land waved and said goodbye.

Matt then stretched his arms and said, "So... There's another order of business we have to discuss: Penguinmon." "Yeah," Izzy gave a nod; "He said he was going to Metal-Tropolis, whatever that is." Matt suggested, "We'll go there as soon as we can. But before we do, we gotta get in contact with Tai and the others. I have the strangest feeling that they need our help."

The full moon gave light to the ocean, illuminating the rolling waves and turning tides. "...What makes you say that?" Davis asked. Matt replied solemnly, "...Because I haven't heard from them since we left them..."

TO BE CONTINUED


	8. The Megas Shall Rise

_"Poor Gommamon got sent to the ocean by our latest enemies, the Shadowmon. Most of the group sent out to find them- including myself, despite my inability to swim. On land, Cody and the others met a Penguinmon who claims to be the digimon of the thirteenth Digi-Destined. He had the Crest of Humility as proof, but he couldn't find his photo of the human, so he ran off to find it. Gommamon found a lot of things in the water- our crests, Seadramon, AND a mermaid who might likely be Oceanamon herself. Could our search finally be over?"_

_-Joe_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Eight: "The Megas Shall Rise"**

The day after Gommamon found it in the ocean, Matt proudly wore around his neck his renewed tag and Crest of Friendship. He took a seat at an open bar that stood several feet away from the shore, and held in his hand at this moment Ken's black D3. He finally put to use the newly-added walkie-talkie part of it, and called Tai.

"Yeah..." he spoke into the D3 while gazing at the clear blue sea; "we got 'em. All three of them: Friendship, Knowledge and Reliability." Speaking through to the receiver was Tai's voice: "That's great! At least you guys were successful with something." Matt frowned, "You can't find the other crests?"

"No, we can't," replied Tai, as he held onto Birdramon's right talon- Sora riding the other. At the time, his group was flying through the air, via Aquilamon, Lilymon, Birdramon and Angemon. Tai spoke into TK's green D3: "And that's not even the worst part. Even as we speak, the Shadowmon cloud is gaining up on us."

"Shadowmon cloud?" Matt's voice asked. Tai explained, "There are hundreds of Shadowmon in the air right now, in the form of a black cloud. No matter where we go, it covers us and makes it hard for us to find Polarimon. We're trying to out-run it right now!"

"No way!" Matt gasped. Tai's voice sighed sadly, "Yeah... You got any more good news? 'Cause we need some." Matt then smiled, "Gommamon says he might've seen Oceanamon."

"You're kidding!" Tai exclaimed, making Sora wonder, "What'd he say?" Tai turned to her and replied, "He says they might've found Oceanamon!" Tai's company broke out into cheers and applause, as Tai went back to the D3 and asked, "...That is what you said, right?"

Matt scratched his head a bit nervously; "Uhh... Well, even if he did see her, she didn't stick around." "...What?" Tai's voice muttered; Matt explained, "Look Tai, we got our crests now, so we at least have a bigger advantage over the Shadowmon. Let's just focus on that right now..."

Tai briefly looked to the sky, and sure enough the Shadowmon cloud was gaining up on them. Matt's voice said: "Maybe there's a reason why the Digi-Keepers are no-shows. Maybe they're just waiting 'till the coast is clear, know what I mean?"

Matt continued, "Look, there's a city on a hill not too far from here called Metal-tropolis. It's packed with digimon, and it's even got a non-stop carnival of some kind. I think it's the perfect place to set camp!"

Tai listened carefully as Matt's voice concluded, "If you can't find Polarimon, or the rest of the missing crests, then come down here and rejoin the rest of us. At least we know Oceanamon is nearby." "I got it," Tai agreed; "Thanks, Matt." "No problem," Matt's voice replied.

Tai turned off the D3 and announced long and clear, "Guys, this plan is obviously not working! The others are closer to Oceanamon than we are to Polarimon. So let's hit the beach and diss this Shadow-cloud!" "YEAH!" cheered his friends, and the flying digimon sped faster.

The Shadow-cloud, as Tai put it, listened carefully to the guiding voice of Pridemon: "Wherever they're going, follow them. Don't let them get away."

Pridemon herself stood on the tip of a nearby mountaintop. She can oversee the heroes racing the Shadowmon cloud, and loving the sight of them losing the race. She snickered with eminent cruelty, but then sighed with a frown; "...Sooner or later, they'll reach the boundaries of my territory. Then I will no longer be able to stop them from reaching Oceanamon's realm."

Suddenly, a dark figure faded in from behind her. An evil, yet prestigious voice hissed, "Oh... That's too bad. Perhaps I can keep them at bay." Pridemon grinned, and turned to the demon behind her. She smiled to him, "Yes, Mephismon. You shall be the first I send." The creature she was speaking to had a goat's head, a disfigured humanoid body, and torn bat wings. He smiled back, "It will be my pleasure." Quickly, Pridemon gave him a fair warning: "But just remember... You're only getting _one_ chance."

Birdramon led the team, charging through the air, where mist attempted to blind them all. "...This mist is getting stronger; I can barely see," she cawed. Sora, with her hand over her eyes, agreed, "Maybe we should stop, and not risk crashing into something." "Good idea," replied her Champion partner, who at that point was lucky enough to find a mountaintop perfect for perching on.

As soon as they landed, Sora called to her friend, "Hey, Kari? Can I borrow your D-3 for a minute?" "Sure!" Kari called back from atop of Aquilamon's back. She dialed a set of numbers; "I think this is Davis's code," she muttered to herself, and then tossed her pink D-3 to Sora.

_RI-I-I-I-ING! RI-I-I-I-I-ING!_

Davis halted, just missing the volleyball that was passed to him by Ken. He heard the beeping sound coming from his blue D-3. He smiled, "Hey... Could that be Kari calling for me?" "Dream on," scoffed his nearby buddy, as Davis ran over to the desk where his D-3 was. He picked it up and in a debonair-like voice, he grinned, "Hello?" "Davis?" called the other line. It was definitely a female voice, but to his dismay it was not Kari's. "Sora!" he exclaimed. The sound of her name was picked up by Matt's ears; he was eating lunch at the time with Gabumon.

Davis continued, "Wha.. What's going on?" Sora's voice explained, "We're lost. There's a nasty fog over here, and we can't see a thing. I was thinking... Could one of you guys come over here and try to guide us?" Davis chuckled, "Gosh, that'd be kinda hard, but I think we-"

Suddenly, Matt interrupted, "What does she want?" Davis answered, "They got lost in a fog." "Oh really?" Matt raised an eyebrow; "They just keep coming up with tricks, don't they?" "Who?" Davis blinked; "The bad guys," Matt replied.

Sora started to hear Matt's voice on the other end. That's funny. They were barely speaking to each other these days, and now all of a sudden he's worried? She spoke, "Is Matt there? Is he gonna help us?"

Matt suggested to Davis, "Tell her I'll bring Garurumon; he can adapt to cold weather and mist." Davis talked into the D-3, "Matt's coming, and he's gonna bring Garurumon."

Sora smiled, "Oh, that's a relief. Tell him to come soon. Okay?" At this point, the others were close enough to hear this conversation.

Davis smiled to Matt, giving him the thumbs up; "She got the message." Matt smiled to himself and out of nowhere he replied, "I love being the guy that saves the day."

Sora heard that. She replied, "Uh.. You're a big help, Matt, but you know we're a team, right?"

He suddenly whisked the D-3 right out of Davis's hand and talked into it himself; "What? Of course I know that!"

"Gee," Sora answered a bit harshly, "You just seemed a little over-confident back there." "I wasn't being over-confident," his voice said defensibly; "I was just saying-" She argued, "You were just saying that you and Garurumon are our only hope." Matt's voice gulped, "We are!... Aren't we?"

Tai knew what was coming. He muttered, "Uh-oh..."

Sora's voice was now loud and clear enough for all of Matt's friends to hear; she said, "Maybe I was wrong to ask for your help. I'm sure Ken or Davis could easily help us. After all, their digimon can fly." Matt argued, "But they'd be as blind as you are right now."

"Blind?... BLIND!?" she roared, obviously taking that the wrong way; "How dare you! I'm not blind, you two-faced jerk; I see what

s going on quite clearly!"

Matt was beside himself; he blinked twice, "W... What?... What're you talking about?"

This was it. Time to finally get it off her back. Sora growled jealously, "I've seen you... How you looked at her, and thought how beautiful she was."

"...Who!?"

"Gaiamon!"

"GIAMON!?" Matt yelled; as did the others in an echo of shock.

"Yeah, that's right! Oh, she may be less than a human NOW, but she's still got that human-like physique to her, doesn't she Matt?" Before he can reply, she added, "I'll bet you're gonna go goo-goo over Oceanamon next! Am I right Matt? Huh? AM I?"

Davis muttered, "Oh man..." as Matt grew all the more insulted. He argued, "...Wait a minute! You and I agreed that we'd like to see other people, didn't we?" "Digimon don't count!" Sora's voice replied.

Matt lashed back, "Weren't you the one that got all mushy over Gennai when he was reformatted to his younger form?" Sora's voice said, "No, that was Yolei!" Ken blinked, "...What?"

Sora took a breath and said, "...Okay, maybe we did agree to see other people... But to tell you the truth, Matt, I really don't feel like it. Look... This is hard for me to explain-" "No!" his voice replied harshly...

"I think you've explained it quite clearly... You're jealous of a digimon! No, wait; A Digi-Keeper! And furthermore-" "Okay, okay!" her voice hollered from the other end; "I may be a bit jealous, but it's better than being a DENDRO-FELIAC!"

"OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" howled Digi Destined from either side. Matt blinked, "...What's that mean?" Sora's voice explained, "Someone infatuated with trees!" Izzy was trying not to bust out laughing, as Davis gently elbowed Matt; "She got you there, pal."

"Get off me," pushed Matt, who was now furious. He hollered into the D-3, "Listen, you! I don't have to take that from somebody who's not brave enough to say that to my FACE!"

Sora hollered back, "FINE! How about we never speak to each other AGAIN!?"

"That's fine by me, as long as it's fine by you!"

"It's fine by me!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

FINE!!"

And they both hung up.

From where she was, Sora clutched onto the pink D-3 like her life depended on it, whispering, "fine..." then tossed it back to Kari. From where he was, Matt handed Davis back his blue D-3, with narrowed eyes and said, "Thank you for letting me borrow your D-3, Davis." Davis took it back, smiling, "My friend, the pleasure was all mine."

Izzy muttered to Tentomon who was floating beside him, "Looks like their relationship went from rocky to rock-bottom." "I couldn't agree more," replied the beetle-like Rookie.

Gabumon bravely tapped Matt's leg; "Uh, Matt?" Matt barked, "What?" Gabumon backed up nervously, "Ugh... I- I'm sorry." He had that pitiful look in his eyes that copied a sad puppy dog. Matt swallowed his anger and pride and frowned, "...Oh, I'm sorry, Gabumon." "...I understand," his partner replied; "...I was just wondering if you wanted to help our friends, like you promised." "Oh, you bet I am!" Matt smiled; "I'll prove to Sora how unselfish I really am."

A few minutes later, Sora and Birdramon secluded themselves from the group, while the others talked amongst themselves. Tai kicked back and sighed, "...So now all we do is wait for Matt or somebody to come pick us up."

TK glanced over to where Sora were, and frowned, "She really didn't mean to talk to him like that, did she?" Tai scratched his nose; "I dunno... Sora's always been the emotional type, but I've never seen her like this since the hairclip incident... In fact, this is worse than that! Poor Matt's gonna have a lot on his hands now."

TK looked up to the sky; "...Still black as night up there..." And it was all thanks to the Shadowmon.

"Awww... Why so melancholy?" whispered a deep, mysterious voice. Tai jumped to his feet; "Oh no... Not again!" He looked around and complained, "...I'm starting to get really annoyed by all these mysterious voices!" Everyone agreed, as they looked just as paranoid.

Then to their surprise, a dark shadow emerged from the darkness. It was a digimon... One they've never seen before. Tai glared at it; "Who are you!?"

------------ Digimon Card: MEPHISMON ------------

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Fallen Angel

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mephismon, a devoted fallen angel of Darkness. My attacks include 'Death Cloud' and 'Black Sabbath.' Sounds exciting, doesn't it?"

-Mephismon

--------------------------------------------------------------

Tai clenched his fist; "We're not scared o' you. Right guys?" The other humans got to their feet and cheered, "Right!" The goat-faced monster grinned, "Oh, how nice. I was hoping you were up for a battle. Now..." He unfolded his wings and said, "Let's begin." With that, he took to the air.

Birdramon took off first, with Aquilamon close behind. The two bird-like Champions tried to attack Mephismon, but he was too fast for them. Not to mention the fact that it was still foggy made it hard for them to see. Sora cried out, "Birdramon! Lookout!" Yolei added, "Be careful, Aquilamon!"

Aquilamon came closest to hitting Mephismon with a charge attack, but once again the villain was too quick. Birdramon saw through the mist a small shadow; she guessed it was Mephismon, and attacked with "METEOR WING!" Her fireball attacks just missed her friend Aquilamon, who squawked, "Watch it!" "Oh... Sorry," Birdramon apologized.

Just then, **BAM!** Mephismon rammed into the two of them with one great thrust of his foot. The birds went flying, and crashed into a mountaintop. Angemon then had a shot at Mephismon; he unleashed, "HAND OF FATE!" the attack did in fact hit Mephismon in the back... but there seemed to be no harm done.

Mephismon shot an ugly look at the angel-like digimon, and charged at him. Angemon thought he could block him, but all that ended up happening was Mephismon pushing Angemon right into a mountain wall.

Mimi looked to Palmon, holding her new Crest of Sincerity; "You ready?" Her plant-like friend nodded, "Fire me up!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion and Ultimate ------------

"PALMON, DIGIVOLVE TO............................................. TOGEMON!

TOGEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO............................................LILYMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Tai and Agumon weren't about to be upstaged. Tai held up his new crest and smiled to his little dinosaur friend; "You ready, buddy?" Agumon smiled back, "Yeah!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion and Ultimate ------------

"AGUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO.............................................GREYMON!

GREYMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..............................................METAL GREYMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"Now the odds are even!" Tai cheered. "Not quite," softly replied the enemy as he zipped by. He then crossed his hands together, summoning up his energy. Then, turning to the on-coming Ultimates, he unleashed, "DEATH CLOUD!" This black cloud seemed to be like mist... until it came in contact with the Ultimates Metal Greymon and Lilymon. It was ten times worse than smog; it was making them cough and gag... They were suffocating.

"Hang on, guys!" roared Aquilamon, but then Mephismon came from behind and drop-kicked him. Birdramon dove into the smog, so that she can pull her friends out of it. But it was now strangling her as well; "What... is this?" she cawed. Birdramon's wings were flapping like crazy to elude the smog, but it was useless.

The humans, from where they stood, gasped and muttered, "Oh no..." with horror. Sora was already upset with Matt, and now the agony of seeing her digimon in danger made it even worse; "...Birdramon!" she cried. Mephismon cackled, "...My Death Cloud attack can never be penetrated. Your friends are doomed."

That's when Aquilamon released his "BLAST RINGS!" attack, and shot them at the smog. Angemon added, "HAND OF FATE!" Since the attacks were pure light, they figured they had a chance at beating the darkness. They were only partly right. But it was enough for Metal Greymon to peek through the smoke, coughing and wheezing. Mephismon saw this as a challenge; he grinned, "Go ahead, come on out and face me if you dare." With that, the smoke lifted for only Metal Greymon to come out. Once freed, he roared, "GIGA BLASTERS!" His torpedoes homed in on Mephismon, and he let them hit his chest.

"YES!" Tai cheered; "We got him!....... HUH?"

Mephismon appeared unscratched, and to make things worse, he aimed his hands at Metal Greymon, and growled, "BLACK SABBATH." A great, black laser shot from his hands, and knocked Metal Greymon for several loops. Tai gasped, "Oh, no WAY!"

Metal Greymon fell from the sky, and would have taken a nasty fall to the ground, had not Aquilamon and Birdramon caught him in time. But then Mephismon turned to the leader of the human gang, and grinned, "Oh... It gets worse..." Tai blinked, "huh..?"

The creature then raised his hands, and allowed a thick black cloud to surround and then cover him completely. Everyone watched, confused and frightened. What could he possibly be doing now? ....He wouldn't be.... _digivolving_... would he? It was everyone's fear. Everyone was right.

The cloud lifted, revealing a giant centaur-like monster, with bull horns and grappling claws. Weirdest part of all, it has a mouth placed in his stomach region.

------------ Digimon Card: GALFMON ------------

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Type: Demon Beast

sarcastic, of course "Oh, GREAT! That's what we need; a new evil Mega! This adventure just gets better and better."

-Tai

------------------------------------------------------------

The centaur overlooked all enemies, and without uttering a word, he charged at the closest one. Lilymon. In one hit, the fairy-like Ultimate was knocked right through a mountain. "LILYMON!" Mimi cried out, but it was useless. Her friend seemed to be completely out of commission. Furthermore, she di-digivolved back to Palmon.

Furious, Mimi screamed at Galfmon, "YOU BEAST! YOU HAVE NO HEART! HOW DARE YOU PICK ON POOR DIGIMON LIKE THAT!" Kari had to hold her back... much to her surprise. "Calm down, Mimi," she tried to coax, but Mimi was already overrun by emotions.

From where she stood, Gatomon looked down to her claws and hissed, "...If only I could digivolve to Angewomon..." Kari bowed her head; "Even if you could, it'd be hard to beat him.. He's a Mega now." Yolei muttered, "And none of our digimon can do it..." "No," TK shook his head; "It has to be done. We've got to try." Yolei had her doubts; "But how? We can't even make our digimon become Ultimates."

Kari then looked up at the cyborg dinosaur and blinked, "We can't... But Tai and Mimi can." TK looked to Kari and gasped, "Do you think maybe they can warp-digivolve?" "No..." a teary-eyed Mimi shook her head; "Palmon can't.... Can she?" From where she stood, she can see her little plant-like friend struggling to move. Mimi sniffled, "I've never tried warp-digivolving before.... It always used to be Matt, and Tai... And then Ken and Davis shared Imperial Dramon..."

Without warning, Galfmon attacked Metal Greymon with a series of scratch attacks. It was enough to make his opponent di-digivolve back to Agumon.

Tai took a step forward, glaring at Galfmon. He said, "The power of our crests is all about keeping this world safe. We already saw that when we used that power to revamp the digital world... But now thanks to the Digi-Keepers, that power has gotten stronger..." He turned to his friend; "Mimi, I think it's worth a shot." "But look at her!" she argued, pointing to the very weakened Palmon; "She can barely move." "Have faith, Mimi," encouraged Tai.

For a moment, The Brave One and the Sincere One stared at each other, as if their conversation moved from verbal to mental. Everybody knew for a fact that two Ultimates just weren't enough to beat this new Mega. It was either try to warp-digivolve... or run. They nodded on it.

Tai clutched onto his Crest of Courage, which started to glow with a warm orange light. As Mimi did the same- her crest was glowing bright green- Tai took a breath and called out, "Never a better time to show courage!" Mimi glared at the dark centaur and added, "And I sincerely hope that guy gets what he deserves!"

"Not so fast!" called out the centaur. The strange mouth in his center opened up, as he roared, "DEAD SCREAM!" It unleashed a massive attack, wide enough to aim at both Agumon and Palmon.

"AGUMO-O-N!"

"NO-O-O-O!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Warp Digivolve ------------

"AGUMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TOO.......AGUMON ..........GREYMON ......... METAL GREYMON..............................................WAR GREYMON!"

"PALMON... WARP DIGIVOLVE TO...... TOGEMON ....... LILYMON ........................ROSEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Everybody- even Galfmon- stood in utter surprise. There stood WarGreymon, a humanoid and heavily-armored version of his dinosaur form. To his far right stood a being similar to Lilymon, but much bigger- older, seemingly- and she was decked out on long green vines, a sleek red one-piece outfit, long green boots, a long white, leaf-fashioned cape, and atop her head was a dazzling red rose. Mimi's eyes twinkled, "...Wow..." That was all she can get out.

Rosemon smiled as she balled her fist, "Alright, I did it! I finally did it!" The golden warrior to her far left in curiosity, "...Rosemon, eh? Kind of fitting." She smiled, "I really couldn't think of anything more original than that. But thanks."

"Enough of this," hissed their enemy, as he backed up to prepare for his next attack. The two Mega heroes readied themselves as well. "BLACK REQUIEM!" hollered Galfmon. War Greymon and Rosemon dodged the attack with great ease, and even greater speed.

The humans nearby were cheering them all the way, as did their digimon friends.

Rosemon was obviously waiting for a long time for a moment like this, for she started kicking and hitting Glafmon like there was no tomorrow. WarGreymon hit him to the side at one point, and Glafmon himself was slammed into a mountain. "HA!" Tai yelled; "HOW DOES IT FEEL?" Mimi jumped up and down, "YEAH! Take THAT you big... I can't think of anything to call you right now! I just love seeing your butt get kicked!"

Galfmon was getting annoyed- at his opponents and himself. He charged at Rosemon, catching her off guard. War Greymon then attacked with his "dramon killers," which were those oversized, clawed arm pads of his. But Galfmon was not a dragon-based creature, and blocked all of the attacks. He was distracted; Rosemon pulled out a new weapon: "THORN WHIP!" She lashed Galfmon's back pretty hard; he even yelled in pain.

WarGreymon then raised his arms in the air, as a giant ball of energy seemed to come out of nowhere. He roared, "TERRA FORCE!" and threw the ball of light at his enemy. The attack was enough to wipe out the mountain that once stood behind Galfmon. It also made a great amount of mist- oh great; they were all blind once again.

Just several miles from where the battle was taking place, Garurumon- with Matt riding bare back- was dashing as fast as the wind. Matt could barely see in the mist, but he heard noises... like explosions from far away. "What's going on over there?" he asked, squinting his eyes. Garurumon replied, "I don't know... But I got a feeling we're gonna be more needed than we think!"

He was right.

For one brief moment, the heroes thought their troubles were over. The mist was still hard to see through, but the disintegrated mountain should have been proof enough that Galfmon was destroyed. Yolei, with closed eyes and clasped hands- as if for prayer- said to herself, "I used to be so ashamed of hurting other digimon... I know some of them are bad, but to kill another living being..."

Kari rested her hand on Yolei's shoulder; "I know how you feel, Yolei... But Tai once said that sooner or later, we must face that task. It doesn't make us as bad as those bad guys that have absolutely no regard..." Yolei gave a solemn nod, "I understand that now..."

Then, there was a rustle. Everyone looked up, seeing the mist cleared. There was no mountain. But there was still a Galfmon. Tai's jaw almost dropped literally; "no..... there's no way....no....way...." The beast was straining; he took that hit pretty hard, and he had cuts and bruises to prove it. But he was still alive. He took a moment to pant... Then he started to lift his head... He was pissed.

"You...little fools... I am among the most powerful digimon of all... How dare you challenge me in the first place... I still have enough energy to finish you all off... Starting with you." He was pointing to War Greymon; "I've heard a great deal about you... You think you're so tough... We shall see..."

"What about me?" Rosemon called out; "I just GOT here!" with that, she pulled out her Thorn Whip and lashed at Galfmon. She was able to lasso his arm, much to his annoyance. War Greymon saw this as another opportunity to attack, and he took it.

He prepared his attack again; "Terra-" Just then, Galfmon pulled his arm strong enough to pull Rosemon right in front of him- he was going to use her to shield himself from War Greymon's attack! "WAR GREYMON, DON'T!" Tai yelled; Mimi called out, "YOU'LL HURT ROSEMON!" The warrior stopped just in time.

Galfmon giggled evilly as he grabbed Rosemon's arm; this was now a hostage situation. The evil beast grinned, "There. I just discovered your true weakness. Having a heart." Rosemon was struggling, but his grip was stronger than it looked. "Let her go," growled War Greymon. "I think not," Galfmon muttered; "This will be a glorious victory indeed, and I owe it all to-"

"METAL WOLF CLAW!!" was all they heard next. And before he knew it, Galfmon was attacked from behind by a great force of energy... no, it was a missile. Galfmon was knocked for a loop, releasing Rosemon in the process. Everyone was beside themselves. They recognized that attack, and more importantly, that voice. He came shooting out like a rocket, from behind the crater that was once a mountain. And he had a human on his back. Matt. Tai looked to the robotic version of Garurumon and cheered, "METAL GARURUMON!"

Indeed it was.

Galfmon, who was now on his knees- all four of them- struggled with his weakness. Three Megas... This was not what he anticipated at all. As he slowly got to his feet, the three heroic Megas lined up. Matt jumped off of Metal Garurumon just in time, qnd he finally got a good look at the newest member of the team, Rosemon. He blinked, "Woah!... Is that Lilymon?" Rosemon smiled, "Not quite..."

Galfmon was now on his feet; he hissed weakly, "Go ahead... Hit me with everything... I will show you just how powerful I am..." He stretched his arms out and welcomed whatever it was that they were going to throw at him. So they did.

"TERRA FORCE!"

"ROSE RAPIER!"

"ICE WOLF BITE!"

A ball of energy, a massive sword slash, and dozens of missiles, all fired at once. The ground tossed and turned; there were nearby mountains that become unstable- so unstable that the Digi-Destined had to be carried away by the giant bird digimon, or else they'd fall.

Minutes went by, and three digimon- Tamemon, Koromon and Tsunomon- surveyed the damage. A giant hole in the ground. They looked at Galfmon, who was still alive but knocked out cold. "Can you believe it?" Tsunomon said; "All that damage, and he's still here." "Yeah," Koromon replied; "He is pretty strong!"

Tanemon blinked, "I don't want to fight anymore. Not like this. Look at all the damage we've done- it's like we were in that 'Dragonball Z' show or something..." "Yeah," Koromon agreed, even though he had no clue what "Dragonball Z" was; "and besides, this guy can't attack us. He's out for the night!" "Let's sneak away," suggested Tsunomon. And so they did.

The mist cleared ever since Galfmon was (sort of) defeated. Matt proudly led the way on Garurumon's back, as his friends followed him from the air. They would soon enough cross over from Polarimon's territory, to Oceanamon's. No one has spoken very much since the arrival of Matt. Sora said nothing at all...

Meanwhile, Galfmon was coming to. He blinked a few times, and even rubbed his head. His eyes wandered around for a moment to see where he was. Wherever it was... Pridemon was there! He jumped up in surprise... She didn't look all too happy. In fact, she frowned, "That was the saddest defeat I have ever seen." Galfmon sweat-dropped; "I-i... It wasn't my fault. There were three Megas... THREE of them!"

Pridemon turned her head and huffed, "I've seen lower-level digimon take out more. And you call yourself a warlord." Galfmon was already starting to regain strength, as he growled, "They will never get by me again!" Pridemon then looked back to him and smiled wickedly, "...No... They won't."

She then extended her pointer finger and aimed it at his heart. "Wha... What're you doing?" Galfmon nervously asked. His commander explained, "I already told you once, you were given just one chance... And you blew it." He knew what she was about to do; he pleaded, "No.. No!.... NO-O-O-O-O-O-O!"

Poof. He was gone. One touch... was all it took.

She witnessed his data disappear and smiled, "...Better luck next time..." With that, she vanished.

TO BE CONTINUED


	9. Cruel To Be Kind

(Author's Note: My apologies for making any mistakes on the flashback sequences. Those are meant to go word-for-word, action-for-action from the original series.)

_"We were on our way to meet up with Matt's group in Oceanamon's territory, when we ran into heavy fog. Sora called Davis on Kari's D-3, and that led to a nasty argument between her and Matt. Nevertheless, Matt and Garurumon raced to our rescue. But then we met a new bad guy named Mephismon, who was an Ultimate digimon. When he digivolved to Mega, all looked lost. But then Agumon and Palmon warp-digivolved to their Mega forms, and then Metal Garurumon joined the fight! ...Boy, that was a long day..."_

_-Yolei_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Nine: "Cruel To Be Kind"**

------------ Flashback: Three or four years ago ------------

It was now or never.

The Digimon Kaiser had recently created a monster beyond comprehension called Chimeramon. It was, as put by some, a jigsaw puzzle Ultimate, with different body parts of some of the strongest Champion digimon ever created. This beast was not only powerful, but it was equally vicious, tearing through towns and forests, destroying everything in its path. It was by far the most challenging of foes yet. And the newest of Digi-Destined had to face it.

Thanks to a few allies, Davis, TK, Kari, Yolei and Cody- with their armored digimon Champions- snuck into the floating fortress of the Kaiser. In mere minutes, they were face-to-face with the powerhouse Chimeramon. Its "Heat Viper" attack was more than the armored digimon could handle- most of them di-digivolved back into their In-Training stages. All the while, the Kaiser himself- and his partner Wormmon- looked on.

Ken- it was Ken, no matter how much he denied it at the time- gasped with shock; "What.. What happened to them?" Wormmon replied, "They di-digivolved, Master." The Kaiser's eyes beamed with confusion, and curiosity; "...They're so little..." Wormmon nodded, "Yes, Master. They're just like human babies." No matter how corrupted by evil he was, the Kaiser found himself muttering, "I never thought of it like that before... Human babies...?"

But Davis and his partner DemiVeemon weren't ready to quit, despite their out-matched situation. Davis stood up and declared, "I'm not giving up until we finish what we came here to do!" To the human's surprise, his baby-like digimon climbed onto the top of his head and chirped, "I'm coming with you!" "Really?" smiled Davis; DemiVeemon smiled back, "Did you really think I'd say no?"

The deal was made, and the two heroes made their way- which wasn't as easy as it seemed- to the main chamber, in which a mysterious power was keeping the Kaiser's fortress alive. Davis and DemiVeemon soon met up with Wormmon, who instead of fighting them said, "I'll be willing to help you if that'll let me get the old Ken back." Davis and DemiVeemon had no choice but to trust him. Soon enough, the battery of the fortress was before them. That's when Chimeramon tore through a wall and charged at the heroes. But it was too late to stop Davis from receiving a new digi-mental: The Digi-Mental of Miracles.

This was unlike any digi-mental previously received; the others were based off of the original eight Crests. But Miracles wasn't a crest... at least not one any Digi-Destined has come across. But it sure did the trick, for Veemon used it to digivolve into a very powerful armor digimon: Magnamon.

------ End Flashback ------

"Here we are," Izzy smiled as he set foot on the edge of the town; "Metal-tropolis!" Izzy, Ken, Davis, TK, Kari, Tai and their digimon all stood at the gateway that would take them from a sandy beach to a glorious city of iron and steel. It almost looked as big as New York, but the buildings just several miles away sure put New York's towers to shame. And all other Earthly towers for that matter.

Tai gave a deep sigh; "...Look at the size of it. I can only imagine who lives here." Davis grinned, "If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere!" As much as she usually didn't take his silly jokes to heart, Kari couldn't help but chuckle at this. She smiled to him, "Very cute, Davis." TK stepped forward and said, "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go in!" "Yeah," replied the whole team, and they all walked through the welcome gates...

Two minutes later, Wormmon found himself flying through the air- screaming- and crashed onto his side, right outside the city line. The impact almost knocked him out cold, as he laid there slightly bruised and let out a small moan. "WORMMON!" called out his human partner, as he rushed to his side. Ken fell to his knees as soon as he got to the little caterpillar and gasped, "Oh my gosh! Are you alright, buddy? ...Speak to me!" The little larva squeaked, "er... I... I'm okay." His eyes peeled open halfway as he winced. Ken gasped, "No you're not, you're hurt!" The others soon ran over, and tailing them was a group of Yanmamon.

They were golden dragonfly-like creatures with four, big green eyes. Tai turned to them and yelled, "What did you do THAT for!?" One of the Yanmamon pointed to a nearby sign and lectured, "Don't you read the signs? 'No Virus Digimon Allowed!'" Ken growled, "Wormmon's not a virus!" He paused, then looked to his little digimon; "...are you?" As his antennae drooped, Wormmon sighed sadly, "...Yes I am." The Yanmamon added harshly, "And we all know the virus types are on the side of The Sin Digimon, and therefore, all virus types are bad!" Kari called out, "That's prejudice!" Davis added, "Yeah, it's racist too! Just who do you think you guys are!?"

------------ Digimon Card: Yanmamon ------------

Level: Champion

Attribute: Data

Type: Insect

"We're Yanmamon, and we advise you not to mess with us. We're as fast as jets in the air, and our 'Thunder Ray' attack is much quicker!"

-Yanmamon

-------------------------------------------------------------

Davis kept on arguing, "Oh, you think you're so hot! Why don'tcha pick on somebody your own size?" Yanmamon growled, "Hey, we don't make the town rules, okay? Only Vaccine and Data types are allowed in town. You don't like it? Leave!"

"FINE!" Ken blasted, then he picked Wormmon up in his arms and cradled him. "Come on, Wormmon, we're not welcome here," he frowned angrily. Wormmon shook a little bit, but then nodded, "If you say so." "Wait," TK suggested; "maybe we can work this out." The group of Yanmamon grinned and started giggling. "You wanna work it out?" one of them replied sternly; "You'll have to take it up with the boss of the town." "Oh yeah? And who's that?" Davis asked. The Yanmamon pointed upward. The Digi-Destined looked to the air... and gasped.

------------ Digimon Card: METAL SEADRAMON ------------

Level: Mega

Attribute: Data

Type: Cyborg/ Dragon

"That's Metal Seadramon! He's a Mega digimon who can move through the sea and sky. If anybody wants to mess with 'im, they're gonna have to face his 'River of Power!'"

-Yanmamon

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the older Digi-Destined, it was like facing an old for again, for one of the four Dark Masters they had faced in the past was a Metal Seadramon.

Tai gulped, "We faced him before. Of course, I doubt that's the same one, but still... He is tough." Davis crossed his arms and huffed, "We can't let some bully digimon tell us who should and shouldn't be in town. We're a team, and we all do our part in saving the world. I don't care who's a Virus, or Vaccine, OR Data! We're all good guys, and that's final!"

Ken bowed his head in defeat and sighed, "...No, forget about it." "Why?" Tai asked. Ken shook his head, "I don't feel like fighting. We're in enough trouble taking up fights with all those Ultimate and Mega villains out there; we don't need to start any more." Wormmon's sad eyes gleamed, "I'm sorry, Ken." Ken sighed, "It's not your fault."

Kari wondered, "Where're you gonna go, you two?" As Ken started walking away, he replied, "We'll just hang out at the beach. No big deal. But if you need us, just call okay?" Davis sighed, "...Okay." The remaining Digi-Destined watched in sorrow as the two outcasts walked away. Veemon quickly called out, "I'll give 'em a Vee Head-butt for ya, Wormmon!" "Thanks," his friend called back.

Little did the Digi-Destined realized that they were being watched through a bubble-like crystal ball, in the treasure chamber of the evil Greedmon. He cracked a few knuckles from a few of his claws, and he grinned, "Only Data and Virus types are allowed in Metal-tropolis, eh? ...This could be fun!" With a wave of one of his many hands, he changed the image of his crystal ball, from the opening gates of Metal-tropolos to the outer gates of the digital world itself.

In a vast, space-like atmosphere, twelve soldiers were resting. Each one was resting peacefully; each one shadowed with secrecy. Just then, a small red light, like the sun itself, appeared above them. That's when their shadows were lifted, and they all took their true forms. One, a dragon; another, a tiger; a third, an ox; a fourth, a sheep; a fifth, a dog; a sixth, a rooster; a seventh, a rat; an eighth, a snake; a ninth, a boar; a tenth, a monkey; an eleventh, a horse; and a twelfth, a rabbit. Each one opened his or her red eyes in curiosity, and they all heard his voice... Actually, it was a voice whom they automatically assumed to be another's.

"My warriors!" cried out Greedmon in an omniscient voice; "It is I, your sovereign, the Phoenix guardian Zhuqiaomon! Arise, my loyal Devas! Majiramon the Dragon Deva! Mahiramon the Tiger Deva! Chatsuramon the Dog Deva! Vajiramon the Ox Deva! Makuramon the Monkey Deva! Shinduramon the Snake Deva! Vikararamon the Boar Deva! Kunbiramon the Rat Deva! Indaramon the Horse Deva! Santiramon the Rooster Deva! Pajiramon the Sheep Deva! And Antiramon the Rabbit Deva!" One by one, they arose to his voice command.

Greedmon paused to take a breath; he mutters softly to himself, "Who came up with those names, anyway?" After clearing his throat, he went on: "We are faced with a grave danger, my warriors. It seems that there are trespassers in our world. They call themselves 'humans.' Every moment they tread on our land, they rip at its core. They are a virus- the worst of all viruses. They, and their blind followers, must be destroyed at once!"

All twelve Devas saluted he whom they thought was another; Antiramon swore an oath, "We shall thwart all those who dare threaten our digital world!" "Go now," Greedmon's voice commanded, and with that, they departed from this vast, space-like atmosphere.

------------ Flashback: Three or four years ago ------------

Magnamon was unlike any other armor digimon; he was powerful enough to go up against an Ultimate! A few of his "Magma Blasts" and "Magma Kicks," and he sent Chimeramon flying out of the Kaiser's steel base. The fortress had crashed in the middle of a desert, and this is where the rest of the battle between Chimeramon and Magnamon took place.

On the back of an enslaved DeviDramon, the Digimon Kaiser and Wormmon watched the fight. The Kaiser roared, "Get him, Chimeramon!" while his timid caterpillar servant called out, "You can do it, Magnamon!" Angered, the Kaiser gave him a swift lash of his whip.

Wormmon cringed with pain, but then he turned to face his human partner and finally had the guts to say: "I hope you're satisfied... You've become as much a monster as the ones you've created." Oh, but he didn't finish there; "What happened to the sweet little boy that had dreams taking over the digital world? –Sure they were sick dreams, but we had a few laughs! …What happened to the boy I was proud to call Master? –Course, you _made _me call you that…"

Wormmon would say more, and once his speech was complete, he concluded, "I'm gonna do this, not for the Ken that bosses me around, but the Ken who's my _friend_… And only a true friend would do this!" With that, he had thrust himself at the Kaiser, knocking him off balance. That was the little caterpillar's cue to make a jump for it.

It came to the point where, in the fight, Magnamon's power was fading fast. Chimeramon had him in a deadly, suffocating grip. No other digimon was able to help him... or else they might die. And Wormmon, above all others, was willing to take that chance. After escaping from the Kaiser, he and DeviDramon took to the air. Then, when he was close enough, the little Rookie digimon leaped from the head of DeviDramon, crying out, "Here, Magnamon! This is what's left of my energy. Use it!"

Like that, Wormmon's body unleashed a ray of pure light, which hit Magnamon's like a laser. All at once, a beautiful aurora surrounded Magnamon like a halo. The amazed hero muttered to himself, "Wormmon's power... is re-energizing me!"

------ End Flashback ------

Ken tossed (another) pebble, sending it flying across the lake. It skipped across the water a few times, which impressed the little digimon sitting nearby; "That was a good one," Wormmon smiled. Ken wasn't amused; in fact he looked depressed. His little green caterpillar friend looked to him and frowned, "...What's wrong, Ken?" The young man just replied, "It's just not fair..."

"They kicked you out too?" said a scratchy voice. Ken and Wormmon gasped and looked around. Then they realized who was behind them: five little digimon that resembled gray rabbits, plus razor-sharp claws and lion-like tails. Ken blinked, "...Gazimon?" "That's right!" one of them replied. Another one of the fuzzy little Rookies frowned, "We got kicked out of Town too, 'cause we're virus digimon." A third added, "It's not fair; we don't even know The Sin Digimon and yet we're accused of helping them."

The young man raised an eyebrow; "...I don't understand. What's the difference between Vaccines, Viruses, and Datas anyway?" One of the Gazimon smiled, "Well, it's our attributes. It's kinda like our DNA; it's the basis of how each digimon treats and is treated by this world. The Virus and Vaccine types were all originally meant for fighting- especially each other. I guess most Virus types were created by the Digi-Keeper of Darkness, 'cause most of 'em are bad. But not us!"

Ken nodded, "And the Vaccines were meant to fight them?" The Gazimon nodded, "Yeah, and the Datas were designed first, as bystanders and such. But over time, all the attributes just sorta co-existed with each other, making all of us capable of good and evil." Ken added, "Just like in my world; there's good and bad people, but not all one race is one or the other." Another Gazimon giggled, "The real world sounds stranger than ours! More complicated! We should all just live here." Ken smiled, but then something in the air caught his eye.

He saw them coming through the sky like comets. Twelve of them, all large in size. He gasped, "What's that?" The curiosity was fed upon by the digimon; they all looked to the sky, awestruck at the sight.

Davis and Veemon bravely entered the main chambers of Metal Seadramon. It was designed like an icy cave, with sparkling stalactites and stalagmites that gave off a turquoise glow. One would be proud to call this home, if one were perhaps a member of a royal family of polar bears, or something.

"Hello!?" Davis's voice echoed throughout the superdome of a room. "...Anybody here!? .....Metal Seadramon! We need to talk to you!...."

Suddenly, the great beast appeared wrapped around on a stalagmite fit to be his throne; he spoke in a calm yet chilling voice, "Ah... You are the one they call Davis, right?" Davis took a breath and gave a nod, "Y-yeah, I am. And this is my digimon, Veemon." "Hello," Veemon politely waved.

The cyber serpent then said, "I've heard a lot of stories about the both of you. You were the first to armor digivolve. The ones who used the golden digimental of Miracles, and by using it restored the one called Ken back to his true self. And you were the one who defied the power of temptation by MaloMyotismon." Davis started smiling proudly; "Nah, I was just doing my job." Metal Seadramon replied, "You are truly a great hero in your own right. I can see why the Digi-Keepers would choose you." Veemon elbowed Davis joyfully, "You should see him play soccer; it's one of the few times he actually uses his head!" "Veemon," Davis softly growled.

The Mega digimon then said, "I have also heard that you have a problem with one of my city rules." "Oh yeah!" Davis remembered and then commented angrily, "My friend's digimon can't come in here 'cause your rules say no Virus types allowed!" Metal Seadramon gave a solemn nod, "Yes. For the sake of my city, I have abolished all Virus digimon." "But WHY?" Davis roared suddenly- it made Veemon jump back. Davis went on, "Wormmon's not a bad guy, and it doesn't matter what kind of type he is!" "On the contrary," the great beast before him argued, "it matters to the safety of my city."

Davis huffed, "It just sounds like you're being prejudice!" The beast's eyes flared, and he let out a small, inhuman growl. This made both Davis and Veemon step back, and they stepped back even more once the Mega beast started to uncoil himself from the stalagmite, down to their level. As he did this, he said sternly:

"...Prejudice...? You think I don't know prejudice? .....A long time ago, long before you even knew what a digimon was, there was another Metal Seadramon before me. An evil one; a Dark Master. He terrorized this world, along with three others. He was merciless, heartless and power-hungry. He ruled the seas like he was a god. Thousands... Millions.. feared him. He's gone now... But his memory hasn't diminished just as easily.

"After he left his mark in the world, we Metal Seadramon have struggled to make new names for ourselves. No one would trust us for over a decade. We were fighting wars we've never even started. Outcasted, labeled, all because of One.... Oh yes, Digi-Destined. I _know _prejudice."

Davis replied angrily, "Then answer me this, big guy: what's the difference between the prejudice you went through and the kind you're showing now?" Metal Seadramon replied, "You think I want to be unfair to certain digimon, but you're wrong. The reason why I have banned the Virus types from this place is because they will open the doors for the Shadowmon and Sin Digimon. Perhaps they don't do it on purpose for the most part, but that's what happens. Nearly twenty times it has happened. I'll allow one innocent Virus type in here. At first nothing happens. And then they show up, those mutant freaks. I don't know why, but they do, and they always threaten my friends, my home."

Davis shook his head, "I doubt Wormmon'll do that! He doesn't work for the bad guys." "Young man," the serpent answered, "this decision has not come easy for me. I am only looking out for my city. I must shut out those villains and those treacherous viruses. But in order to do that, I must shout out them all." Davis frowned, "...But that's not fair." The beast growled, "Did I say my rules would be fair?"

He then calmed down and sighed, "I am sorry, and I will personally apologize to the Wormmon. But understand this, human. It took me a long time to build this place, and with it I made a new name for myself. I have a reputation now- maybe it's not as good as yours, but it's good enough. I am no longer labeled as the enemy, as a Dark Master. I have friends now. Respect... And I refuse to risk all of that for one small Rookie."

Suddenly, there was a roll of thunder, and the ground seemed to fall off balance. A fear-stricken Gotsumon- a Gotsumon resembles a small rock-formatted gargoyle- ran into the room, yelling, "MASTER! WE'RE BEING ATTACKED! YOU GOTTA COME HELP US!" Without giving it a second thought, Metal Seadramon charged. Davis and Veemon exchanged confused expressions, and then decided to follow.

"BOAR BOMB!"

"SAMURAI TIGER TAIL!"

"DEVA BLADE!"

"TREASURE ARROW!"

"HORN OF DESOLATION!"

They LEVELED the city. One Ultimate attack after another demolished two or three of those once beautiful towers of Metal-tropolis. Panic swept the streets, as most of the resident digimon charged for the exit gates. Many fell on their way out; a few were even, sad to say, trampled to near death. But the Devas seemed to care less about them. They wanted the humans.

Ken and his newfound gang of Virus types all charged into the city, thanks to Stingmon. They, along with the rest of the Digi-Destined and Metal Seadramon, met at Town Square. All around them there were walls of rubble and desolation. And above them, in mid air, stood the Devas.

Tai turned to the creature that he once saw as a Dark Master and exclaimed, "What ARE those things!?" Metal Seadramon, gazing at them in shock, replied, "They're the Devas... Loyal servants to the Phoenix Digi-Guardian Zhuqiaomon." Yolei gasped, "B-but... Why are they attacking us?" "Are they Virus types?" Izzy wondered; Metal Seadramon replied, "No... They're Vaccines and Data types. ...And I have no idea why they're attacking."

Then, another Deva- Antiramon- pulled out her ultimate weapon: The Treasure Axe. She aimed it at the humans, when- "STOP!" roared Metal Seadramon. All of the Devas paused. The cyber dragon growled at them; "Why? Why do you attack us!? We're all on the same side!" The rabbit Deva hissed, "We've been sent by our sovereign to destroy the threat of our world;" she aimed the axe directly at them, "the humans!"

"Threat!?" Davis called out; "We're not the threat! We're trying to save this world." Then the ox Deva, Vajiramon, stepped forward and declared, "Our master would never lie to us." Sora then turned to Matt and muttered, "...I thought the guardians all wanted us to come here." Matt agreed with her, and called out to the Devas; "You've been deceived! Whoever told you to kill us wasn't the Phoenix guardian at all!" Pajiramon, the sheep Deva, stepped forward even closer and growled, "Lies! We'll show you why nobody messes with the Devas!"

Metal Seadramon started to float to them, pleading, "Please... My friends, you know me. I would never harbor an enemy in my city. And it's true that these humans were sent here to be our allies." The Devas paused, and looked to each other curiously. Then the tiger Deva, Mahiramon, approached the humans to observe them up close. He even went as far as sniffing Mimi's hair. "Hey!" she cried out, swatting at him; "It took me hours to get it unfrizzed!" The tiger backed up, startled; then he let out a mighty roar, sending most of the fear-stricken humans to their knees.

He then turned back to his flying brethren and growled, "They're definitely not of our world. And it is our duty to make sure that nothing unnatural poses a threat." Tai balled a fist and argued, "I'm telling you, we're not the threat!" Mahiramon snorted, "Take it up with our master."

Metal Seadramon then blocked the tiger from the humans, hissing, "...Fools. All of you! The last thing we want is to fight, especially those who could very well help us. Don't you see? The true enemies are the Sin Digimon, and the Keeper of Darkness. And as you all can plainly see, they are neither one, nor the other." There was a long pause; the Devas took one long look at these strangers to their world. There command was clear; there was no mistake. These were the present enemies.

Antiramon, the rabbit Deva, raised her axe and roared, "Our orders are to destroy the humans. STAND ASIDE!" Metal Seadramon angrily narrowed his eyes... "Not a chance. RIVER OF POWER!" A great force of energy erupted from his robotic snout. He fired it at the rabbit Deva, thus making her lose her axe.

The Digi-Destined all looked to each other, and nodded. There was nothing else to do; it was either them, or the Devas... And they just didn't feel like dying this day.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate and Mega ------------

"GARURUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..............................WERE GARURUMON!"

"IKKAKUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO................................ZUDOMON!"

"KABUTERIMON, DIGIVOLVE TO........................... MEGA KABUTRRIMON!"

"AGUMON!"

"PALMON!"

"WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO...............................................

"WAR GREYMON!"

"ROSEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The Devas didn't look at all impressed. They all fought off the Ultimates and Megas with all their might. Being rested up for quite a long time certainly helped; not to mention the fact that it was twelve on six. Ken then looked to Stingmon and muttered, "Should we try it?" Stingmon frowned (that is, if one could see his mouth), "I don't wanna fight them. They're probably not that bad." "I know," nodded Ken; "But..."

"LOOKOUT!" Sora screamed out of nowhere. Sure enough, a nearby tower was falling towards the lot of them; the digimon who weren't fighting took this moment to take as many humans as they could, and booked it out of there just in time! Then, taking refuge atop a nearby wall of rubble, they witnessed the battle raging on.

War Greymon, Rosemon, and Metal Seadramon all fought their hardest, but also tried not to fatally wound their opponents. The Devas, on the other hand, saw these Megas and Ultimates as traitors; they kept up their most massive of attacks, all the while the ground below them was getting deeper and deeper holes.

Ken and Stingmon in particular grew annoyed at this. "We've got to stop this," Ken informed his Champion partner. Stingmon replied, "I agree... But it's gonna be tough, since all the Devas wanna do is fight us.... Unless..." "Unless what?" Ken blinked. Stingmon then fluttered his dragonfly-like wings and muttered, "Unless I can do something drastic." With that, he took to the air; Ken called out to him, "Stingmon? ....STINGMON!"

The Devas worked like a team against their enemies; soon they had the three opposing Ultimates and the three opposing Megas surrounded. They were about to unleash all twelve of their attacks as one. Stingmon charged like a lightning bolt, just when the attacks were about to be fired. None of his friends saw him coming; just when the Devas prepared to fire, Stingmon charged right through and into them. The attack was fired, but in all directions. Most of the attacks hit the sky and ground... But some hit Stingmon.

"STING-MO-O-O-O-O-O-O-N!" howled many of the Digi-Destined and digimon; but it is certain that the loudest of them was Ken. The Devas finally stopped attacking; they were all just as shocked as their opponents.

Ken jumped out from his hiding spot, and rushed quickly to where Stingmon was to crashed. When the Champion did crash, he di-digivolved back into Wormmon. "wormmon..." Ken weakly muttered as he kept running toward his fallen Rookie partner; "....not again.... please, not again....."

------------ Flashback ------------

"MAGMA... EXPLOSION!" Magnamon's combustion of pure energy was enough to make Chimeramon slowly disintegrate. Their greatest foe- well he was the greatest at the time being- was defeated at last. But there was no time to celebrate, for as soon as he di-digivolved back to DemiVeemon, the Kaiser was also di-digivolving... back to the young boy he used to be. Ken.

That's when he heard Kari call out, "Wormmon!" He himself looked up, from bowing his head in utter shame; "...worm-mon?" He forced himself to his feet and staggered over to the crowd that was gathered around the fallen caterpillar. All at once, it came to him. He was a Digi-Destined, and Wormmon was his partner... his friend.

The little fellow opened his eyes and muttered, "...You did it, Ken. You came back to your true self..." He fell to his knees and cradled Wormmon in his arms. "Wormmon..." he sputtered as tears started to fall; "Please don't go..."

------------ End Flashback ------------

"WORMMON!" screamed his horrified human partner. Everybody gazed in shock as this scene unfolded. Ken ran to him as fast as he could, but when he got there, he fell to his knees in utter despair. His fallen friend was lying on his side, his body battered and bruised and his eyes squinted shut. Very much like the time he gave up his last ounce of energy for the golden armor digimon, Magnamon, years ago. And just like that moment in time, Ken can see that his digimon partner was... dare he think it... close to death.

Still, he tried talking to him; "....wormmon? .........wormmon, can you hear me? on, open your eyes." At this point, the other humans and their digimon partners ran to the scene. Following them were the Gazimon, a few Yanmamon and Metal Seadramon. Kari bent down to Ken's level and asked worriedly, "...Ken, is he okay?" Not saying a word in response, Ken gently picked up the small caterpillar and cradled him in his arms.

This was another familiar scene- right after Ken was freed from the dark spore's control. The young man's mind was racing- thinking about the past and the present all at the same time. In his mind, there was no difference between what he experienced then, and what he was experiencing now.

Wormmon's eyes slowly started to open, but only opened halfway. "....ken...." he weakly whispered. Ken's eyes were already filling up with tears; "...worm-mon..." was all he could get out. Wormmon cringed in severe pain, but the forced himself to speak, "...i'm.....i'm sorry..... i tried-" "Sshhh," the human replied softly; "Don't speak; save your strength..."

A nearby Yanmamon muttered sadly, "...He... He saved us..?" Tai frowned, "Yeah... Not the first time either..." Metal Seadramon looked down on Ken and frowned, "...Is... Is he doing alright, human?" Ken looked up to the cyber beast and sniffled, "I don't know... He stopped talking." "Wormmon!" cried out Kari's voice. Tai looked around for her, and saw her running to Ken and Wormmon. He then joined the group, which had to back up a little for Ken and his digimon to breathe. But alas, Wormmon's breathing was growing all the weaker.

Majiramon, meanwhile, was ready to charge; "Let's finish them now!" he snarled to Antiramon. The rabbit Deva, on the other hand, looked down on her opponents with intrigue. "Wait..." she said, lifting a hand to Majiramon. The dragon Deva gasped in shock; "W-wha!?" Still, the rabbit Deva looked on...

Ken could no longer hold back the tears as he looked into Wormmon's weary eyes and begged, "...please don't leave me.... There's.. There's no more Primary Village... How'm I supposed to find you a- ..after all this?" Wormmon squinted his eyes and weakly replied, "...please, ...k-ken... don't cry....." Ken's lip trembled; "...I can't help it... I don't wanna lose you."

The company around them started to cry silent tears. Tai, Kari, TK, Izzy, the Gazimon, the Yanmanon- even Metal Seadramon was getting a bit misty-eyed. One Yanmamon looked to another and muttered, "We were way too hard on that poor guy." The other nodded, "Yeah... I wish we can do something."

Just then a Gazimon rose his ears and gasped, "You guys, we _can_ do something!" The Yanmamon and Gazimon all looked to him as he continued, "Every digimon has energy that they can transfer to another. I've seen it happen! If we all work together and give Wormmon our power, he won't have to be deleted." The Data-attributed ones looked to each other, and to the Virus-attributed ones. For once, they all agreed on something.

"...w....wormmon," Ken sniffled, now hugging his caterpillar friend. Neither he nor the humans nearby noticed the approaching Yanmamon and Gazimon. They gathered around Ken and Wormmon, forming a circle. "Okay you guys," commanded a Yanmamon, "let's all give Wormmon some of our powers."

"Huh?" gasped the surprised Ken. All the humans looked up from their sorrow, and with wide eyes they witnessed the miracle. Yanmamon and Gazimon alike, they started glowing with a golden halo around each of them. Then the golden light beamed from their bodies and fell on Wormmon's. Ken kept the small caterpillar in his arms as the fallen digimon received the power of the many Yanmamon and Gazimon. Wormmon himself started to glow with a golden halo.

Little by little, his cuts and bruises were starting to fade. The humans all let their jaws drop as they gasped in amazement. Ken blinked a few times, not believing what he was seeing.

Wormmon's body began to levitate, and started to float out of Ken's arms. Ken tried to say something, but no words escaped his mouth. All eyes were glued to Wormmon, as he was gently lifted in the air, taking in all this newfound energy. His eyes finally opened wide; he blinked, and realized where he was. "...hmm?" he hummed, looking down at Ken who was still kneeling on the ground.

The caterpillar turned his body over on his stomach, showing the fear and shock in his bright blue eyes. The group of Yanmamon and Gazimon stopped the power transfer, and joined everyone else in their amazement. Wormmon was still glowing- this time in bright green- and still suspended in the air. He blinked, "...That's funny... I never felt _this _powerful before!"

In response, Ken's Crest of Kindness blinked in hot pink. Then in a flash...

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Mega ------------

"WORMMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO................STINGMON ..............DINO BEEMON ...............GRAN KWAGAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

------------ Digimon Card: GRAN KUWAGAMON ------------

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Type: Insect

"Gran Kuwagamon- the largest of all insect digimon! His enemies must be crazy to challenge his 'Dimension Scissors,' 'cause they're strong enough to cut through the atmosphere."

-Metal Seadramon

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

His six bulky legs landed on the ground, causing a huge tremor in the process. He was towering over three stories high; he was almost the length of a football field- counting those forbidding tusks of his. He was gargantuan; in jet black, silver and fiery red. The red was mostly coming from his massive wings, and evil-looking eyes.

There wasn't a closed eye or shut mouth spotted for miles. TK fell to his knees; Tai sat down. The beast looked down to his human partner, who was two seconds away from fainting- not just because of the shock, but because the blood was rushing to his head very quickly, from looking up at the Mega beast!

The giant insect slightly lifted his massive head, took a deep breath, and in a bass voice that seemed almost completely inhuman, he muttered, "...At last..."

Not too far from the action stood the dragon-like shadow of Greedmon. His eyes blinked, looking as stunned as his enemies were; "...So, _that's_ his Mega form... Such a shame he's no longer one of us." Then he disappeared.

The Devas as well were impressed; they've never seen a digi-volution quite like this. Finally, after staying calm and silent, Antiramon stepped down from the sky and approached Gran Kuwagamon. Ken saw her coming and warned, "Don't!" "Relax..." the rabbit Deva hummed calmly. The other Devas as well stepped forward, one by one.

The Digi-Destined looked to them in awe and wonder; was this a trick? Antiramon looked up to Gran Kuwagamon and nodded, "....Now I see that we were deceived. A digimon's evolution usually requires very little, besides natural energy. But to digivolve at the hands of a human... That is something I have never before seen... or expected from an enemy." "She's right," agreed the monkey Deva Makuramon; "If it is written that humans can participate in a digimon's evolution, then the Guardians- even our own sovereign- would also agree to it."

Davis smiled to them, "So are you not gonna fight us anymore?" Majiramon shook his head; "No... We were wrong, and we're sorry." Antiramon added, "We will return to our base outside the digital world, awaiting orders from the true sovereign. And should the unknown deceiver ever call us again... Zuqiaomon help him."

With that being said, the Devas took their leave of what remained of Metal-tropolis. Davis, as well as the others, looked around the area; he huffed, "Hmph! ...Didn't even pay for the damage."

All was not lost for Metal-tropolis. In hours, digimon by the thousands- Vaccines, Data, AND Viruses- pitched in to rebuild that which was destroyed in battle. Looking on were Metal Seadramon and the Digi-Destined. He turned to them and grinned, "Thanks to you, Digi-Destined, this city will no longer be threatened by evil. For as you see, digimon of ALL types are now working together to rebuild it. Perhaps in time, the Sin Digimon and Shadowmon will attack again; but when they do, they will have to face these new resident friends of ours."

Tai smiled, "Well, we're glad to help shaping up this world." Matt added, "And we learned to not judge a digimon by his or her appearance. You're alright! ...For a Metal Seadramon." The cyborg beast replied, "Thanks... I guess."

Yolei turned to Ken, who noticeably cradled the baby form of Wormmon- known as Leafmon- in his arms. She smiled to him; "...Are you okay?" "Hmm?" he looked to her, as if snapping out of a dream; "...Oh, yeah. I'm okay. I'm just relieved I didn't lose Wormmon again." "I know," she sighed. S

he then looked down at the little green creature- shaped like a bubble, tiny beady eyes (now shut), a small pacifier for a nose, and a tail that curled up into a big leaf (hence his name)- and smiled, "Do you think that when he got hit, he knew he was gonna be saved?" Ken let out a small smirk; "I dunno... He might have. He's done a few things that have surprised me..." "Life," concluded Yolei, "is just full of surprises..."

Leafmon slept on through the evening, and into the night. Gran Kuwagamon's moment of heroics would have to wait another day.

TO BE CONTINUED


	10. Carnavale

_"Even if we have Oceanamon's Crests, we still haven't found Oceanamon herself. We went to a city by the shore, hoping to find her there. Unfortunately, Wormmon was kicked out because in this particular city, Virus attributed digimon were banned. As it turns out, the city is owned by a Metal Seadramon- but not the same Dark Master we fought before. Even he wasn't powerful enough to defeat our newest foes, The Devas. Fortunately, Wormmon was given enough power to warp-digivolve to Gran Kwagamon, and... sort of... saved the day! I know I say it all the time, but that was _so_ PRO-DIGIOUS!"_

_-Izzy_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Ten: "Carnavale"**

After spending two more days in Metal-tropolis, it was apparent that the Digi-Destined wouldn't find Oceanamon there. And so, they packed up their bags and headed further down the ocean side.

One mid afternoon, they came upon a small oasis-like forest, and took a well-deserved nap under the shady trees. By three o' clock, almost everyone was asleep, except for Matt, Tai, Izzy and Ken. Izzy, of course, was too busy meddling with his laptop; but the others were hungry.

Ken was the first to wander off into the woods by himself... with Wormmon trailing close behind, unnoticeably.

Ah, apple trees. Ken figured that the group would enjoy fresh raw apples, or that someone like Sora or Mimi would make meals out of these apples. How can the young man resist? He climbed up one tree halfway, and already he was surrounded by large, red apples. At first glance at them, his stomach thundered.

Taking off his red, button-down shirt- leaving the thinner, black undershirt for him to wear- he picked at the fruit, and started gathering it into his blouse.

Then, as if by accident, he looked up and saw a shadow hiding in the branches above him. It had deep violet eyes. He blinked, not sure if he was dreaming at the moment, but then... she slithered her way down like a snake. Lustmon grinned, "...Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"

Ken backed up as much as he could, gasping, "Hey! ....I know you. Y-you're one of th-those S-sin Digimon, aren't you?" She brushed back her weightless, ghostly black hair and replied, "Gee, what gave it away?" The human gave her an unwelcome glare; "Get away from me." He then prepared to jump down off the branch, when she reached out for him, pleading, "Oh no, wait. Don't go... I just want to talk, that's all." Ken raised an eyebrow; "....Which one are you again?" She smiled, "Lustmon." "Goodbye," was all he said, and turned away.

Then she wrapped around his torso the snake-like part of her body where her legs should be; she insisted, "Just... give me a minute, please?" Ken paused to observe his current situation; "...Hmmm... Temptation in an apple tree... Where have I seen this before?"

The ghost-like creature pulled him closer to her rather roughly, as she replied, "I'll just get straight to the point. I know that you're all searching for the Digi-Keepers. Yes? ...Well, my Master just happens to be the fourth of that group: The Keeper Of Darkness. And he's looking for the other three as well." Ken cleared his throat; "Ahem! ...Y-yes, of course. I know that."

Lustmon frowned, "Well, it's such a shame that a few humans from another world got dragged into all of this... You know, getting involved in such a perilous adventure could be extremely dangerous... It almost pains me to see children- sorry, young adults- risking their lives before they even get a chance to fully grow up." Ken looked away; "You don't care; you're pure evil."

"But I do care!" argued the Sin Digimon; "....I care about you." Ken looked back at her and smirked, "Ha! You just met us, and all of a sudde-" "Not them, Ken," she interrupted sternly; "...just you." He gulped nervously, "...M.... Me?"

Nearby, Wormmon was hiding in a brush, listening in closely to what Lustmon had to say... and he certainly did not enjoy a word of it.

But she went on: "I know who you used to be; that Digimon Kaiser... That's the right title, isn't it? Or was it Digimon Emperor?" Ken narrowed his eyes angrily; "It doesn't matter anymore. He's gone. Ancient history!" Then Lustmon grinned, "Ooohh... IS he?" Ken's eyes lit up with surprise; "-Huh?" Lustmon crossed her shadowy arms and said slyly, "I know it's been a while, but you remember exactly how you became that way. Do you? ...An unfortunate run-in with Millenniumon left you with a curse. Or rather... A dark spore. Yes... The dark spores are those tiny black orbs that can corrupt even the purest heart, when activated correctly.

"Where is it, by the way? Is it... Here?" With that, her ice-cold index finger rested upon the back of his neck; he cringed. Lustmon shook her head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk... That little bugger's still in there, isn't it?" "Leave me alone!" Ken shouted, but she replied, "Oh, you don't have to take it out on me. I'm the one who wants to help you. Remember?"

_"How can you help me?" the young man asked harshly; Lustmon replied, "Let's just say... I have my resources."_

Greedmon, unknown to anyone, was watching this conversation take place from his secret lair, via his magic crystal ball. He turned away from it and roared, "WHO DOES THAT SLUT THINK SHE IS!? We didn't come ALL the way out here just because she can be somebody's CALL GIRL!"

Then to his surprise, a little voice giggled nearby; "Hahahahaha! That just goes to show ya; dames ain't nothin' but trouble!" DemiDevimon perched himself on a golden scepter; one of many priceless artifacts that Greedmon had kept to himself in this chamber. Greedmon, obviously peeved, huffed at him; "What are you doing here, you little dust mite?" DemiDevimon snapped at him, "Oh, is this the welcome I get after all these years? I've been nothing but loyal to you guys, and I get no respect at all. Not even the Master-" "Go away!" Greedmon snapped right back; DemiDevimon, in the process, almost lost his footing.

The little Rookie demon got his second wing and declared, "...Uh, I was just floatin' around the beaches like I was told to do, and lo and behold; I found the perfect place that Oceanamon would be at! It's this little town called Caribbea, and those Digi-Destined pests are headed straight for it as we speak." Greedmon growled beneath his breath; "And why exactly should I care?" This was the question DemiDevimon was waiting for; he grinned, showing all his little fangs, "It's crawling with Oceanamon's people! Ice types, Water types, Lightning types! All of them! And all those little market places, and all those banks..." He then leaned in closer to the Sin Digimon; "There's a lotta money there..."

Money. If one word could get Greedmon's heart to skip a beat above all others, that would be the one.

The ghostly beast stepped back; his deep green eyes blinked; ".....Money?" "Yeah, LOTS of it!" cheered the Rookie. Then he added, "Just let me round up a lotta Shadowmon, and we'll terrorize this town. Oceanamon just can't resist coming to their rescue! And the best part is-" Greedmon finished his sentence for him: "We'll have ourselves a GOLD MINE! ....yyyYYYYYES!" Excitedly, the beast slammed his fist onto a table; the impact finally made DemiDevimon fall over.

Greedmon pointed to the fallen little demon and said, "You! Lead my army of Shadowmon into Caribbea at once! Bring me as much money and jewels as you can, and don't forget to terrorize the pants off of those digimon locals!" "Aye, aye sir!" saluted the Rookie, as he quickly fluttered into the air on his tiny bat wings. As DemiDevimon flew away, Greedmon slithered towards his treasure, gloating, "Ahhh, it's days like this that make me glad I was created." He then added a deep, sinister giggle.

"So, let me get this straight," Ken said to Lustmon; "You think that your Master wants me, because I got this dark spore in my body?" "Yes," she nodded; "You are far more valuable to him than any other human that should dare set foot here. And so, in order to make things easier for you and your friends, I am going to have to request that you let me remove the spore."

Ken finally started struggling for freedom, as he was still bound by Lustmon's "tail;" he growled, "You can't do anything for me. And even if you could, I don't want your help! ...Let me GO!" The Sin Digimon felt very disappointed, and frowned, "You don't know just how much in danger you are, young one. If I hand over the dark spore to my Master, he may very well leave you and all your friends alone.. Not to mention the fact that you'll never be at risk of becoming the Kaiser again." "He's dead, I tell ya. Dead!" Ken argued. Lustmon narrowed her eyes; "...We shall see..."

Up until this time, she couldn't take her violet eyes off this human. They had a certain glow in them; a glow that could go unnoticed, but was certainly there. Almost like sincere affection... or maybe just lust. She was, after all, a sin Digimon.

But now, she hard a sharp "Screech" sound, and caused her alarmed eyes to look up. Right behind Ken was one of Stingmon's fierce arm scythes. The large green insect stared her down menacingly, and a low and steady tone of voice, he hissed, "You've got two seconds to get your paws off him, or else." Lustmon, tickled at the idea of a mere Champion threatening her life, she finally released Ken and smiled at Stingmon; "Hey, relax big boy. I was just making conversation." "Yeah?" Stingmon replied; "Well, now you'll make tracks."

Lustmon didn't even put up a fight; she started snaking down the tree, and slithered away into the dark wood. As she did so, she took one last look at Ken and said, "Just think about that spore, Ken Ichijouji. Its evil might have been silenced after all these years, but mark my words... Evil never really dies... It simply hibernates..." and with that, she was gone.

Ken took this moment to start breathing again; Stingmon looked down on him (he was flying, after all) and asked, "Ken? ...Are you alright?" Ken gulped softly, "Yeah... I'm fine... Let's got outta here." With that, he climbed into Stingmon's arms.

He'd been waddling for hours; searching city after city. He'd asked everyone, and they've either given him a straight answer, or laughed, or simply said "Go away." He had finally arrived at the edge of Caribbea, the largest and most populated city in all of Oceanamon's territory. Surely, after all those previous failures, his search would end here.

Penguinmon first had to sit on a log, and rest a bit. He then reached for his little pouch, which he had kept vigilantly all this time, and opened it up to gaze in wonder at the golden bracelet that had attached to it the Crest of Humility. He sighed deeply; "...Well, we finally made it to Caribbea... You think she'll be here? She just doesn't seem to be anywhere else." The Crest just shimmered in the warm sun.

Penguinmon smiled, "Whaddya think she's like? Does she look anything like those humans we saw a few days ago? They seemed really nice. I'll bet _she's _nice..."

He sighed again, looking at the skyline of Caribbea. It only had a few tall towers, and in the distance, he can see a huge carnival. A boardwalk, resorts... This city seemed to have everything a beach-bound town would need to please a summer crowd, and then some. Penguinmon blinked, "She's gotta be a lot nicer than those digimon, at least..."

At last, they made it; and the first thing they saw was the carnival. "YAAAA-HOOO!" became the anthem for the travelers, as they charged almost all at once towards the amusement park's rides.

But there were some among the group that just wanted to take things easy. They were: Sora, Biyomon, Gabumon, Izzy, Tentomon, and Joe. The few of them rested up at a picnic table, and saw the others have a ball.

Davis, Veemon, Tai and Agumon had a "Let's-See-Who-Can-Ride-The-Roller-Coasters-The-Longest" competition.

Gommamon and Palmon got lost in the Hall of Mirrors attraction, and loved it.

Matt dragged Mimi onto the "Chaos" ride; Mimi then dragged him onto the Ferris wheel.

Yolei and Hawkmon got a kick out of face painting.

TK, Kari, Gatomon, Patamon, Armadillomon, and Cody- ALL of which had their own cars- battled it out in the bumper car ride. Four times!

And as for Ken and Wormmon, they just... walked around.

Later, Biyomon took Hawkmon, Agumon, Gabumon, Gommamon and Wormmon onto the merry-go-round. Their human counterparts, along with Izzy and Tentomon, watched from a bench nearby, getting lost in yet another Digi-Keeper-related conversation.

Izzy had his laptop showing a map of the digital world; with a pencil, he pointed to a certain spot on it as he spoke: "Okay, we're here. This covers just about every land of Oceanamon's territory northward, then it's back to Polarimon's mountaintops." Tai guessed, "So this means we're bound to find Oceanamon here?" Izzy shrugged, "Either that, or she's somewhere out in the ocean."

Joe groaned, looking up at the sky; "Man... I was just getting used to being on the land again, and now we gotta go all the way out there?" Izzy lectured, "Oh, come on Joe..."

His eyes then wandered of into this map of his; Izzy frowned, "Still no sign of Primary Village..."

Cody immediately changed the subject, "Hey, wait. What about Penguinmon? And the new Digi-Destined?" Sora blinked, "...There's another Digi-Destined?" "Yeah," Cody nodded; "Remember?... Oh wait, you weren't here. There's this little penguin digimon who's got this crest... Which one was it?... Uh, anyway, he's looking for a human; his partner."

Matt was a little skeptic; "If there's another Digi-Destined, then how come he or she never helped us out before?" Yolei grinned, "Well, we saved the world without our own crests before, so at this point anything's possible!" Cody then added, "And it's a girl. Penguinmon said so." Matt's eyes softened; "...Oh. Well... I guess that's alright."

Sora didn't take this response lightly, and transferred herself from this group over to the digimon group on the merry-go-round.

Sora leaned up against the bar that was her only blockade from the amusement ride. Her eyes gazed at it blankly, as if she had suddenly fell into deep thought. Once Biyomon made her way over to her partner, she called out, "Hey, Sora!" Sora didn't say anything at first, but then snapped out of it and blurted out, "Hey, Biyo-" That's when she realized that her digimon buddy turned the corner on the ride. "...mon." she finished half-heartedly.

Gommamon- his "horsie" was actually a seahorse- then whisked by, smiling, "Jump up!" Sora gave a soft giggle; "...No thanks." He turned the corner, and then Agumon- riding his "horsie" backwards- saw Sora and quickly asked, "What's wrong?" She honestly replied, "It's Matt." Gabumon whisked by and asked, "Matt's wrong? About what?" Not even caring who would hear her at this point, Sora then started to rant:

"Well, I know we kinda broke up some time ago, but now I get the feeling that he just... doesn't seem to care. I'm sure that since he's this (she says this rather sarcastically) big-time rock star, his life's all hectic and stuff. But other than that, he's the same ol' person. He just won't admit it... At least not to me."

Hawkmon then whisked by and wondered, "Are you saying you still have feelings for him?" The little digimon was still in the middle of his sentence even when he turned the corner. Sora sighed, "No... I mean... What bugs me, really, is the fact that he starts getting all googley-eyed over a new girl he meets, like at the drop of a hat... It almost makes me wonder if he ever liked me at all!" "Why?" asked the speeding-by Gommamon; "Who does he like now?" Sora sighed, "Nobody... oh, just forget it."

To her surprise, Biyomon had jumped from her merry-go-round "horsie" and flew to Sora's side. Biyomon then blinked, "Why wouldn't he like you? You're a fun person." Sora couldn't help but smile; "Thanks, Biyomon..." But then she turned away and frowned, "...Maybe I'm just jealous."

Gommamon's voice called out, "Sure sounds like it!" Nearby, Hawkmon shouted to him, "Gommamon, please! The poor girl's having a crisis."

Sora and Biyomon started walking away from the merry-go-round; Sora started, "It's not really a crisis..." "What is it, then?" Biyomon asked her.

The day was dying; clouds were starting to cover an already graying sky. There was a shade of blue in the air that was cold enough to take one's mind off of summer just by looking at it.

By this time, Sora and Biyomon had walked all the way to the boardwalk, to gaze at the tide of the sea, as it rolled in so quickly it made no one dare venture forth onto the beach. Sora stared at it, with that same blank face she had at the merry-go-round. Biyomon looked at her in concern; "Sora?" she chirped. Sora's eyes finally blinked, and she looked down at the little pink bird-type digimon. "Yes?" she calmly asked. Biyomon replied, "I know it's none of my business, but you do care about Matt... Don't you?" Sora admitted, "I care about all of you guys. My life has never been the same ever since me and the others first came to the digital world. Since then, I haven't felt lonely or unwanted..."

She paused, then smiled down at Biyomon; "I haven't even told you how he and I started crushing on each other." Biyomon blinked, "...you crushed each other?" Sora giggled, "No... I mean..." She decided it would be wise to keep her human slang away from the blunt-speaking Biyomon for now, and just started speaking straight-forwardly:

"...Hmmm.... When did it all start? I remember some time before we fought Diablomon the first time, me and Tai were seeing a lot of each other. One time we had a fight, and I was being really stubborn about it... That's when Diablomon was created on the Internet. If I wasn't still sore with Tai, I'd probably have you fight alongside Agumon and Gabumon." "It's okay," Biyomon interrupted.

Sora went on: "Anyway, a couple months went by, and we haven't seen you guys. We were beginning to think that our jobs as Digi-Destined were over. So then Matt started to take up music as a hobby. He wrote his own songs, he got his first guitar... And he asked me to help him out with a few things, and since I wasn't doing anything much- besides school stuff- I accepted.

"I was his top song critic, I bought supplies for him, ran a few errands... Long story short, we were getting closer and closer. And the funny part was, we didn't even mean to. I mean, I still liked Tai... But now he just seemed to be more of a friend to me... and just that.

"Then, without warning, we were called back to the digital world by Gennai. He said we needed to release the power we had inside us- you know, the power that activated the original crests? And you know, as a result, the digital world might have been rejuvenated, but you guys lost the ability to become Ultimates. But what we never really came out with saying was, we Digi-Destined kids lost a part of ourselves that day too."

"You did?" Biyomon frowned; Sora nodded, "Yeah... It was so weird. You know how I was the Child of Love, and Matt was the Child of Friendship?" "Yeah?" Biyomon nodded; Sora continued, "Without that special power we had, we felt as if we needed more love and friendship in our lives. It was the same with the others; Tai didn't seem like as adventurous as he used to be, Izzy was burying himself into even more books and computer software, Mimi moved to America at that point so I dunno much about her thirst for sincerity... Oh yeah, back to me and Matt.

"Me and Matt felt like we needed to spend more time together, because I saw him as a great friend, and he seemed so passionate about his music career... And then before we knew it, we started going out to dinner, and movies, and... (giggling) carnivals."

Biyomon guessed, "So... Because you lost the power you had over the crests, that's why you and Matt got together?" Sora sighed, "I don't really know. But it is kinda weird how everything came together some time after our last experience with the crests.... It could've been a coincidence... Still weird though..."

Her thoughts trailed off after that, as Sora gazed back at the ocean's horizon, which would have shown a sunset if not for those dark cold clouds. Sora blinked, "...They didn't say anything in the weather report about a thunderstorm." Biyomon then looked to the sky; she blinked as well; "Yeah... And the wind sure is picking up, 'cause those clouds are getting even closer... Really fast."

"Wait," Sora gasped, as she took a second look; "...They are coming closer... Like they're flying..... They _are _flying!" That's when she saw it. The clouds started showing tints of red and white... red as in eyes, and white as in fangs. Sora hollered, "Those aren't clouds!" Biyomon fluttered in the air briefly as she shouted, "Those are-"

"SHA-DOW-MO-O-O-O-O-ON!!!"

(Begin "Money")

Most of them flew in, in the forms of Airdramon, Flymon, Kwagamon, Megadramon and Gigadramon. Others maintained their freaky silhouette forms. But everybody knew who they were, and nobody was going to stick around to wonder what they wanted. Amidst these Shadowmon flew one pure digimon; the small, bat-winged puff-ball DemiDevimon. He laughed hysterically, "HAHAHAHAHAAAAA! RUN! RUN, YOU COWARDS! NOTHING CAN STOP US; NOT EVEN THE HUMANS!"

All at once, the Shadowmon fell upon the carnival, as well as all the streets and buildings that surrounded it, in one chaotic fit of greed... and song!

_"The best things in life are free,_

_But you can give them to the birds and bees!_

_I want money! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I want! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I want!"_

They showed up in all the market places; toppling goods and tearing up walls in the process. Their main concern, however, were the locals. Anyone who had so much as coins in their pockets found themselves turned upside-down, and shaken roughly by their adversaries; in hopes that all those coins and dollar bills would fall out onto the floor.

Others had their purses and wallets snatched; their jewelry swindled; their candy taken! Yes, the Shadowmon were evil enough to take candy from baby digimon.

_"Your lovin' gave me a thrill,_

_But your lovin' don't pay my bills!_

_I need money! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I want! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I want!"_

(Interlude)

The cheap imitations of Champion and Ultimate digimon ripped through the amusement park like it was made entirely out of cardboard. The humans gathered as many digimon as they could- including their own partners- before the Ferris wheels and roller coaster hills came tumbling down on all of them. Izzy and T.K. ducked just in time, before a swarm of Flymon (Shadowmon, actually) knocked them down like bowling pins.

Sora and Biyomon were still on the boardwalk when the evil ones attacked; the two girls bolted out of there just before they went under with the wooden floor beneath them.

And the destruction of the amusement park wasn't the worst of it.

Those Shadowmon were actually attacking the city as a whole, particularly the banks and museums for their priceless artifacts and such. All the while, panic and chaos ruled the streets. It was devastating, to say the least.

_"Money don't get ev'rything, it's true_

_But what it don't get, I can't use!_

_I need money! (That's what I want!)_

_Lotsa money! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I want!"_

Then it happened. The poor unfortunate known as Penguinmon had been walking down what was, just a few seconds ago, an open road. Before he knew it, DemiDevimon came at him at full force, and the first thing he got his little blue talons on, was the pouch that Penguinmon had been holding onto for so long now. In a brief tug-of-war battle, Penguinmon held his own... until a Shadowmon bounced off him like a cannonball, sending Penguinmon straight into a haystack nearby.

The little penguin looked on in horror, as his adversaries took off... with the pouch carrying the Crest of Humility.

_"Money! (That's what I want!)_

_Lotsa money! (That's what I want!)_

_Gimmie money! (That's what I want!)_

_A whole lotta money! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)_

_That's what I want!..."_

(Song ends)

It took hours just for the smoke to clear. The humans and their digimon partners took shelter, under the merry-go-round's fallen rooftop. Tai was the first to get to his feet, and when he did, he dusted off the dirt from his shirt, looked around, and hollered, "JUST WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE!?"

Then there was a response of humans and digimon rising from the ashes and various fallen objects, all in a daze and rubbing their heads. The air was filled with the sounds of coughing, sneezing, and "Oww... my head..." It seemed to be coming from everywhere.

Gabumon pulled Matt from beneath their own hiding place; as he pulled himself up, Matt gasped, "Where is everybody? ...Where's Sora and Biyomon!?" "We're here!" called out a voice coming towards them; it was Biyomon. She fluttered to her friends, followed by Sora herself. Matt blinked, "...Are- are you guys alright?" Sora was dusting the dust from her arms as she weakly replied, "We're okay... We're just a little... you know... shocked."

Tai then ran up to them and panted, "...You guys! .....You guys ....okay? I was worried..." Matt nodded, "I think so... where are the others?" Tai rubbed his eyes; "Everybody else is okay, but scattered.... We tried to save as many digimon as we could...." Sora's eyes glistened with worry; "...N....nobody was hurt.... were they?" There was a pause. ...A long one.

The shadow of a multi-armed dragon laughed maniacally, and it was starting to sound like he had four different voices as he did so. DemiDevimon perched himself on a chair nearby, looking on ward curiously. He blinked, "...Uh... Greedmon? ....W..... What's so funny?" The dark, towering creature turned to the little puff ball, and extended one of his fisted claws at him. He then opened his palm, and there in it was a golden bracelet. The bracelet had a pretty, circular jewel.

Greedmon grinned, "DemiDevimon, I congratulate you. You not only have called out the Keeper of the Seas, but you have unwittingly rectified our victory!" The demonic Rookie blinked, "...I don't understand." Greedmon elaborated, "This is the Crest of Humility!" "The Crest of Humility!?" DemiDevimon blasted in disbelief while flapping his wings; "I- I didn't even know that existed!"

"Of course you didn't," the Sin Digimon hissed, pulling the crest away from the Rookie; "Only I and the other Sin Digimon know all of the crests in existence! From the beginning, they were all hidden from the digital world, until it officially became open to outsiders- those humans." DemiDevimon raised an eyebrow- if he had one, that is; "How many are there?" "Dozens," admitted the shadowy figure.

"...But as long as I have one in my possession, then there will be at least one human who cannot join the fight. And it would take the assistance of ALL these humans to secure The Digi-Keepers... Don't you see? You have broken the balance; put the harmony of their powers out of sync!"

The Rookie gulped, "But- but there are others out there still. Lots of them! If they fight us-" "Let them try!" gloated the tall shadow; "I have one of their crests now, and this will make our ultimate goal all the more possible to achieve!" And with that, the giant monster broke out into another chorus of maniacal laughter.

Caribbea would not be the paradise it used to be; but at least now, with the help of the Chosen Children and their digimon partners, its mess could at least be cleaned up a bit. The upside to this cleanup was that it would not take as long as the damage made on Metal-tropolis. Still, the populous of this town was diminishing by the minute; either the locals were moving away... or worse.

Joe took a moment to stand on what was left of a Ferris wheel and observe his surroundings. "Look at what they did to this place," he commented; "...and for what?" Izzy walked up to him, still on the ground, and responded, "Lotsa digimon are complaining that while the Shadowmon were here, they were being robbed." Mimi, who stood nearby, crossed her arms furiously; "You mean they wanted money!? That's ALL? The _least _they coulda done was open an account, those good-for-nothing-" Yolei cut her off as she walked by; "That's the problem, though. They are good for nothing. Nothing they do is good..." "Yes, she's quite right," Hawkmon agreed as he followed Yolei.

Davis was wiping the dust from his goggles as he said, "Man... Did they really have to tear apart this place too? That was really unnecessary. Don'tcha think, Tai?" Tai was looking out to the ocean- there was a much clearer view of it, now that all of the rides of the amusement park fell down. He took a small breath and sighed, "....You're right, Davis." "Huh!?" gasped Davis, as well as a few others nearby; "...What? I'm right?" Tai turned to him and gave him a sincere nod, "Yeah. Those guys were after more than money. They want Oceanamon!"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the air shook with this thunderous voice. Startled, the humans and digimon jumped up and looked around curiously. The omniscient voice continued his announcement, "TONIGHT AT THE CROWMON'S NEST, FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, A SPECIAL SALUTE TO MARDI GRAS, HOSTED BY THE ONE AND ONLY, APRIL CUMMINGS!" Mimi scratched her head; "...Mardi Gras? ...Have we been in the digital world longer than we realized?" Palmon, who stood beside her, just shrugged.

Finally, Cody and Armadillomon found out where the announcement was coming from. At the edge of (what was left of) the boardwalk, stood a Gazimon dressed in a suit and tie, with a gentlemen's top hat, and speaking through a loud speaker. It looked almost as though he was announcing his own performance, as he set himself up on a podium that seemed to have come out of nowhere. "COME ONE, COME ALL! AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS, WHY DON'TCHA?" he added.

Cody and Armadillomon exchanged curious faces, then they approached the rabbit-like digimon. "Excuse me," said the youngest of all humans. "YES?" asked the Gazimon, who obviously forgot to put away the loud speaker. Cody and his digimon buddy both plugged their ears; Cody gritted his teeth and asked, "...Can... Can you tell us what you're talking about?" Gazimon blinked, "OH! YOU MEAN ABOUT THE-" "TURN OFF THE LOUD SPEAKER!" roared Cody and Armadillomon in unison.

Gazimon giggled nervously as a sweat drop trickled down his face; "Oh, heh-heh. Sorry! I was told to make a special announcement for Miss April Cummings." "Who's that?" asked the little yellow armadillo; Gazimon explained, "Oh, she's a nice young human lady that just dropped by. She wants to sing tonight at The Crowmon's Nest tonight."

Cody blinked with surprise, "...a human?" He and Armadillomon gasped; "Is she the thirteenth Digi-Destined?" Gazimon shrugged, "Gosh, I dunno. Why don't you an' your friends come to the dance club tonight and ask her yourselves?" Armadillomon shared a grin with his human buddy; "Hmmm... It's a date!" "Yeah," nodded Cody.

(Begin "Havana")

The Crowmon's Nest stood at the very end of the town's carnival, where there was no beach, but a small rocky cliff that was the small club's only block from the ocean. The tide was raging at this point in the evening, but nobody seemed to notice. Everybody was inside, having a ball.

The deep blue darkness that surrounded the club outside was in total contrast to the hot red and fiery yellow lights that blazed the club on the inside. Flocks of white spotlights flew all around the walls, making it even brighter. The group of humans and digimon were all seated at several tables; each table was glistened with vases of tropical flowers and candlelight.

There were several food courts, two bars to order drinks, but best of all, there was a dance floor. It took up half the room. And placed ever so graciously behind this dance floor, was a stage crowded with a big band of jazz-playing digimon.

The digimon in this particular band included brass-playing reptile types (including an Agumon), a piano-playing Psychemon, bongo-playing plant types, guitar-playing water types, and an Octomon that was able to play three different drum sets.

Everyone applauded at the sound of the announcement: "And now, please welcome your hostess for the evening: Miss April Cummings!" Just as the young human woman entered the scene, the lights on the walls faded from a hot red to a soft blue. She took the center of the stage, accompanied by a warm white spotlight.

She stood tall- about five feet and a half exactly. Her dress was sleek and navy blue, topped of with tiny sparkles. Her hair was long and dark, that was pulled up at the top in a ponytail but then fell to her waist. Her facial features echoed that of the average Asian woman; youthful, yet mature. Her maturity certainly shown through in her deep blue, almond eyes; it also shown through in her voice...

_"Tropic days turn into steamy nights,_

_States out ways give into appetites_

_Panatelas under white straw hats_

_Sit and soak rum and coke!_

_Cuban rhythms push the night along,_

_Past the limits of what's right or wrong_

_Hardly anyone is keeping score;_

_Let it ride, por favor!_

_Love is the one legal tender,_

_Never ensured to fly._

_Just find yourself a big spender,_

_Who will render the gender you're right to try!"_

As the young woman sung on, Cody turned to his friends at his table; Yolei, Ken, and their digimon. Cody said, "You know? It's kinda weird how that girl just came outta nowhere and invited us to this place." Yolei put a finger to her glasses, as if in deep thought, and observed, "It's also weird that she looks a lot like us... you know what I mean?" "Yeah," Ken nodded; "Penguinmon said that his human partner is Japanese. didn't he?" Armadillomon replied for his human friend, "Uh, yeah. I think he did... Didn't he Cody?" Cody just looked back at the young lady that was singing; he sighed, "I hope so..."

Penguinmon himself was just making his way into the club, looking more glum than ever before. As he kept waddling closer and closer to the stage, his eyes started wandering. He almost completely missed seeing the humans that he'd met some time ago; upon seeing them, he cracked a weak smile.

_"Big casinos under Latin skies,_

_Valentinos with ambitious eyes._

_Slow degrees of lazy Fahrenheit_

_Cook the day, eat the night!_

_Smell the money when the trade winds blow,_

_Play the slot machines; enjoy the show._

_Spin the wheel, or maybe roll the dice!_

_Welcome to Paradise!_

_Too much is never enough here,_

_There's always room for more._

_One of a kind calls your bluff here._

_If you're pair is impressed, better pass, señor!"_

Penguinmon had taken a seat in a corner, a bit far away from the humans. How could he face them without his Crest of Humility? He'd be... well... humiliated! But then his eyes began to wander, and they finally met the woman on stage.

He took a double-take reaction; this time, his eyes bulged with shock. He blinked once or twice to make sure his sight wasn't failing him...

_"Twenty-three or so degrees,_

_Just below the Florida Keys,_

_All the tourists come to play_

_Making mucho-la cheese full of caviar!"_

Penguinmon could not believe his beady little eyes; he was staring at that young woman as if he'd seen a ghost or something. All that came out of his little beak was a gasp and a mutter: "it's _her_...."

_"In-ambitions simply melt away;_

_Dispositions will improve, they say._

_Maybe it's the voodoo latitude_

_(That) gives the place attitude._

_Way down here we have no rules to keep;_

_Way down here we always oversleep;_

_Way down here we mambo all night long!_

_Through the street_

_Through the heat_

_To the beat_

_Of Ha-va-na!"_

(Song ends)

For a moment, the audience was in an uproar of applause. But then, the lights flashed from a warm blue to a fiery red...

(Begin "Never Dance")

As soon as the trumpets blasted and the percussion thundered, everybody was taken in by the rush. Finally, a dance song.

Almost instantly, couples took to the dance floor, while the shy ones just sat and watched.

Davis had the urge to dance as well; too bad that his desired partner, Kari, was already taken by T.K. But that didn't make him too upset, for Biyomon came to him and began whispering in his ear. Whatever she was whispering was causing him to smile.

_"One night in Rio I'll never forget_

_Rhythms of life, so wild and so wet._

_Suddenly, out of the darkness he came; _

_Somehow, he knew my name._

_There in the streets, in the carnival roar,_

_He whispered, 'Come dance with me.'_

_Something inside me like never before_

_Made such a strange melody._

_And I'll-_

_Never dance the way that he moved me,_

_Never kissed the way that he kissed me,_

_Never love the way that he loved me,_

_How can I dance now?_

_Never knew the heat of desire,_

_Never knew the flames could go higher,_

_Never felt the passion, the fire._

_Now let me dance again!"_

Biyomon's plan was in session. Matt was sitting by his lonesome on one side of the bar, while Sora was alone on the other side. Davis tapped her on the shoulder suddenly, asking her to dance with him.

At the same time, Matt was being asked to dance by Yolei. Both of them took the bait, while their mischievous digimon partners watched in the distance, giggling.

_"There in his eyes I was lost from the start,_

_Under his spell, losing my heart._

_Percussion and thunder collided that night,_

_Painting the sky with light!_

_Out of control, going out of my mind,_

_I never felt so free._

_I left the dancer and Rio behind,_

_But I found the gypsy in me!_

_And I'll-_

_Never dance the way that he moved me,_

_Never kissed the way that he kissed me,_

_Never love the way that he loved me,_

_How can I dance now?_

_Never knew the heat of desire,_

_Never knew the flames could go higher,_

_Never felt the passion, the fire._

_Now let me dance again!"_

Davis and Sora were cutting a rug on their end of the dance floor, while Matt and Yolei were having a ball on theirs. Unknown to them, however, they were being "led" by their dance partners, to the center of the dance floor. There, Davis spun Sora and Tolei spun Matt, and before they knew it, they were standing right in front of each other.

_(Backup singers)_

_Oro, sesanto,_

_Seducio, e peligro (Soloist: Oo-oo-oo!)_

_Cirando ni sojos_

_Besse le strande (Soloist: Oo-oo-oo!)_

_Miando asta la musica!_

_Sinners and saints,_

_And seduction and danger. (Soloist: A-A-AH!)_

_Closing her eyes_

_She can still see the stranger (Soloist: Ah-ah-ah!)_

_Rising up to the music!"_

(Interlude)

Well, their dance partners had left these two to be alone; Matt and Sora just paused, caught up in their awkwardness. But then, they were still in the middle of a great dance song, and everybody else was just going with the flow...

"_so... why not? Just this once…"_ they both thought.

Matt took Sora's hand, and they danced the salsa together. Along with everybody else, they got lost in the music, and had the time of their lives!

_"There in the streets in the carnival roar,_

_He whispered, 'Come dance with me.'_

_Something inside me, like never before_

_Made such a strange melody!_

_And I'll-_

_Never dance the way that he moved me,_

_Never kissed the way that he kissed me,_

_Never love the way that he loved me,_

_How can I dance now?_

_Never knew the heat of desire,_

_Never knew the flames could go higher,_

_Never felt the passion, the fire._

_Now let me dance-_

_Never dance the way that he moved me,_

_Never kissed the way that he kissed me,_

_Never love the way that he loved me,_

_How can I dance now?_

_Never knew the heat of desire,_

_Never knew the flames could go higher,_

_Never felt the passion, the fire._

_Now let me dance- (A-A-AAAHHHH...)_

_Never dance the way that he moved me,_

_Never kissed the way that he kissed me,_

_Never love the way that he loved me,_

_How can I dance now?_

_Never knew the heat of desire,_

_Never knew the flames could go higher,_

_Never felt the passion, the fire._

_Now let me dance-_

_Never dance the way that he moved me,_

_Never kissed the way that he kissed me,_

_Never love the way that he loved me,_

_How can I dance now?_

_Never knew the heat of desire,_

_Never knew the flames could go higher,_

_Never felt the passion, the fire._

_Now let me dance-"_

(Song ends)

**BOOM!!!**

All at once, everything stopped, just as one of the club's walls was suddenly burst wide open. The moment was just too abrupt and frightening to seem normal... so nobody was really that surprised when they started seeing Shadowmon eyes peering from behind the explosion. Many of the digimon- the ones without human partners- fed the scene that very moment. The Digi-Destined heroes, however, almost instantly took to fighting positions.

But they weren't expecting who would appear next.

He stood almost eight feet tall, and that was the LEAST intimidating thing about him! He had four faces- one in front, one on the left, one on the right and one in the back- all of them with the exact same emerald green eyes, the same dragon-like snout, and the same ferocious set of fangs. His head was topped off with a series of bullhorns that intertwined each other at the brow, glimmering in crystal. His body was also serpent-like, but with his multi-numbered arms and claws, he looked almost like a centipede. In fact, he even had limbs that were connected to the ones on the floor; these mirrored limbs were raised to the air. It was as if they were purposely set this way, so that if anyone were to knock him down on his "back," he can easily reverse his front and backsides! His tail was scorpion-like at the end, but not with one scythe, two! His armor-looking flesh was mostly a dark gold, with a few stripes of silver. His front two arms had bronze, lobster-like claws with three fingers instead of two. With all four of his voices, Greedmon called out: "LUCY, I'M HO-O-OME!"

Davis's eyes bulged so wide, they were almost at risk of falling right out of his head; "..who... wh-who is that?" he babbled. Greedmon grinned with his frontal face, "Ahh.. I see you don't recognize me. I am Greedmon, and I am here to collect my prize!" "What are you talking about?" Yolei asked bravely; Hawkmon was cowering behind her at the time. Greedmon replied, "She is here somewhere. I heard her voice..."

Penguimon then jumped onto the stage and bravely blocked the human named April; he squawked, "NO!... Th-there's no Digi-Keepers here, s-so just... Go away!" Greedmon's many green eyes observed the area; "Hmmm.... Thirteen humans, thirteen Rookies, thirty Shadowmon and one Sin Digimon.... I do believe the odds are in my favor." Tai raised up his Crest of Courage; "Wanna BET?"

Greedmon's eyes glistened with awe, as he watched several of the Rookies had been overcome with sudden flashes of lights, and shift into Ultimates in seconds. Agumon and Gabumon became their Mega forms, in fact; War Greymon and Metal Garurumon! Greedmon smirked, "...Okay. Now I'm impressed... But that still won't save you or the one you're all protecting. Now run along, children-"

Then he heard a sigh coming from someone a few feet away; curious, Greedmon turned to the only human sitting at the bar. Greedmon raised his would-be eyebrow at this boy; "...And _you_ are?" The boy turned to him at last and replied, "Davis Motomiya." The beast took one step forward and growled softly, "And just what are you sighing about?" Davis shrugged, "Well... I just don't feel like fighting. Okay?"

Greedmon sneered, "I don't think you have a choice." Davis glared at him; "Look, you knocked down two cities in one week, and now you got everybody's money. What else do you want?" "Oceanamon, of course!" Greedmon answered.

That's when Tai realized that Veemon was still... Veemon! Tai called to him, "Veemon, digivolve!" Veemon frowned, "Davis wouldn't let me." "WHAT?" everyone gasped.

Davis spun in his chair; "Yep... It's true. I just don't wanna fight right now." Greedmon scratched his front chin; "...Odd. I'm so used to everyone either running away or preparing for battle. Now I am curious..." Even Kari at this point was losing her cool; "Davis, what're you doing? We have to fight him." Davis just crossed his arms, "Whatever happened to compromising?" "COMPROMISE! HA!" Greedmon blasted with joy; he then turned to the Shadowmon and smiled, "Did you hear that? The idiot boy wants to _compromise_ with us!" They all laughed in his face, but Davis didn't flinch.

Veemon tugged at Davis's sleeve and asked, "Davis, are you feeling alright?" Davis shook his head, "I'm tired. We're all tired! It's always the same thing; we come, they show up, the city goes down. And I was just having fun for the first time since... I don't even know! And I'm sure you, Greedmon, are getting a little annoyed with all this routine stuff." Greedmon paused, then replied, "Actually, I like causing pain and destruction... But I _am _fed up with you children interfering with my affairs." "Fine then," Davis nodded; "Why don't we just take a break from our missions for a little while?"

"........Take a break?" Greedmon blinked with surprise.

He was done for; so they thought. Nobody but NOBODY told Greedmon what to do, except his Master. And he was certainly not going to listen to a stranger to the digital world. A seemingly slow-witted one at that.

"Hahahahahaha! Take-a-break! Take-a-break! Take-a-break!" echoed the Shadowmon mockingly; "SILENCE!" roared their boss. He then looked back to the human at the bar, who was now taking a sip of his soda; "If you claim to be tired, human, the you have already dug your own grave. For I and my Shadowmon are at full power, and we can easily rip this place apart with-"

"Are you after Oceanamon?" Davis suddenly asked him. Greedmon nodded impatiently, "Yes! Yes I am, you're all in my way!" Davis took a quick look around the room, and with narrowed eyes he glared back at the beast, "...Where is she?"

Greedmon widened his eight eyes, and quickly looked around. Thirteen humans, thirteen digimon, thirty Shadowmon.............................. Where WAS she!?

He gasped, "But... But I... I heard her! I was drawn to her voice, just as the Shadowmon were drawn to Gaiamon's!..." Davis grinned, "Maybe she was here, and she booked it!" Greedmon blinked, "...She wouldn't!" "Why not?" Davis asked, leaning back into his chair; "She's probably rebuilding those cities you tore down on your way over here by now!" Greedmon paused again; he was finding it very difficult to believe that anybody- even a Digi-Keeper- would refuse a fight with him. He was finding it even harder to believe that this human was refusing battle just now.

The Shadowmon were getting restless, and started bouncing up and down like bunnies; "Let us get him. Let us get him. Let us get him," they whispered. Greedmon started rubbing his front claws, taking a moment to think things over. Then, after taking one last look at the seated human, and his friends who were still preparing for battle... he finally said, "I have wasted my time."

The Shadowmon all frowned, "Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwww." He glared back to them; "You'll get your chance yet! Remember, this whole plan was to get Oceanamon; not the children." He glared back at his enemies and hissed, "They just happen to be here, that's all... Let's go." With that, Greedmon started walking out from the hole in the wall he came from. Followed closely behind him, reluctantly, were his Shadowmon followers.

The only sound that was then made was that of a lamp crashing down from the ceiling. The Megas and Ultimates fell back to their Rookie forms soon afterward; but everyone was still speechless. Then, the next sound to be made was applause. The humans and their friends turned to where it was coming from; April.

She was smiling joyfully, like a child at play; then she opened her big blue eyes. "I knew it!" shouted Gommamon in the distance. He ran up to her as quickly as he could, and falling at her feet, he looked up to her and smiled, "I knew those eyes looked familiar! You're that mermaid I saw in the ocean the other day!" April smiled wider, and gave him a nod.

Penguinmon shook his head and giggled, "No... This isn't a human, or a mermaid. This is the person Greedmon was looking for." Everyone else seemed to be clueless, but then April's form shifted magically; her flesh became water, her hair rippled like tidal waves, and the base of her body was now in the form of a whirlpool. She maintained her human face and deep blue eyes through it all. Matt gasped, "...Oceanamon...!"

------------ Digimon Card: OCEANAMON ------------

Level: Keeper

Attribute: Data

Type: Human Nature

"That's right! I am the Keeper of the ocean; I had to keep a low profile, because my power is not fully generated yet."

-Oceanamon

---------------------------------------------

Izzy frowned, "Wait. Won't Greedmon come back if he hears you again?" Oceanamon grinned, "I wanted him to come, so that my test would be completed."

She turned to Davis and smiled, "You have proven that battles can be won without the sword. And so, it is my honor to reward you with this..." She then extended her index finder to him- actually, his necklace-like tag. It shimmered with a heavenly blue light, and then the light flashed for a split second, like lightning. When he opened his eyes to see it again, he realized that his new Crest had grown another third!

There was only one more third of it left to appear; the top third. But he didn't care about that; he grabbed the tag and cheered, "My Crest!"

Oceanamon nodded, "I have given you my third of your Crest, Davis. Now all you need is Polarimon's... Well, it was nice seeing all of you at last. And now I-"

"Wait!" Penguinmon raised his flipper suddenly. Oceanamon then looked to him; "...Yes?" He frowned shamefully, "...Oceanamon... Ma'am... I lost my Crest of Humility to those attackers earlier. How am I going to become a Digi-Destined digimon now?" She calmly patted his head, "Don't worry, Penguinmon. Your partner will be in this world soon enough. As for the Crest, you'll have to get it back yourself... with her help. Here..." With a wave of her watery hand, a new picture of his partner appeared in Penguinmon's flippers; this one had a golden frame.

Penguinmon stared at it with a certain gleam in his beady eyes; he looked up to the Digi-Keeper and smiled humbly, "Thank you..." "Anytime," was her final word; she then took off like a flowing river from where she stood, and then she was gone completely.

Veemon patted Davis's arm proudly; "Congratulations, Davish!" Davis blinked with a meek smile, "...To be honest, I didn't even know what came over me at the moment! It was like... a _miracle_!" "Hyeah," Tai grinned; "That's exactly what crossed my mind when it happened. Davis couldn't help but glance back at his still unfinished Crest... He was only one piece away...

Cody and Armadillomon then approached Penguinmon; Cody said to him, "Don't worry, Penguinmon; we'll help you get your Crest back." Penguinmon smiled, "Thank you; but like Oceanamon said, I gotta do this on my own... With my partner." Armadillomon then asked, "...Who is your partner, by the way?" Penguinmon then presented his newfound photo to them; "She's this girl right here..."

Cody and Armadillomon's jaws nearly dropped to the floor at the sight of this thirteenth Digi-Destined. Yolei, Matt, Tai, and Davis all gathered around the photo as well. They all gasped and replied in their own way:

(Tai) "Oh my God!"

(Yolei) "Oh, I don't believe it."

(Davis) "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"

(Matt) "....oh no....."

It was a photo of Jun.

TO BE CONTINUED

_(Author's Note: I did the best I could on the lyrics to the Linda Eder songs. I especially had difficulty with the Spanish/Cuban words- not even the lyric and Spanish translation web sites helped me much. If I got anything wrong, and I know I did, my extreme apologies.)_


	11. Meanwhile, Back In Japan

_"We've just arrived in a town called Carri-bea, which has been said to be the most popular of Oceanamon's. Of course, we weren't the only ones who knew that; we were being followed by the Sin Digimon. A huge group of Shadowmon attacked the beach, just when we were settling down at the amusement park! Even poor Penguinmon became a victim, as DemiDevimon stole his Crest of Humility. Fortunately, Oceanamon finally responded, by posing as a human and then testing Davis as he had words with Greedmon. In the end, three facts were revealed: Oceanamon was found, Davis got the second half of his crest, and the thirteenth Digi-Destined turns out to be Jun!"_

_-Kari_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Eleven: "Meanwhile, Back In Japan..."**

Kellen had been playing one of many Digimon card games with his latest creation, Culumon, when it happened. The young boy threw down his Master Tyranomon in victory; "Ha! Master Tyranomon's Master Claw attack sweeps away your Guardromon! I win!" Culumon took a deep sigh of defeat, thus his koala-like ears recoiled into his head. Kellen smiled, "Don't worry, Culumon; you're still new at this." The little creature nodded, "Culu-yeah."

Kellen then smirked, "Your speech is improving, I see. Pretty soon you'll be fully developed and ready to be a part of the Di-" Kellen was then interrupted by the sound of running feet, and Gennai's voice: "It happened! It finally happened!"

Both Kellen and Culumon jumped up in surprise; Kellen saw the old man coming and asked, "What happened, Gennai?" Gennai jumped up and down with excitement; "She's been found! The thirteenth Digi-Destined has finally been found!" Culumon's ears flew up in enjoyment; "Ah-haha!" he squeaked.

Kellen, just as overjoyed, got to his feet and smiled, "Great! Let's go meet her." Gennai's attitude then plummeted like a rock from joy to dismay; "Uh, there's just one problem." "Huh?" responded both Kellen and Culumon. The old man then frowned, "She's still in the real world." "WHAT?" gasps the child; Culumon's dog-like hearing picked up this blast, and the poor little creature tumbled away in pain as a result.

Kellen went on, "But all of the loop holes have been sealed up! How're we gonna get her?" Gennai raised his hands and said, "Relax, relax. I forgot to tell you that there are many bridges between the two realities that we can take. The problem is, they're a little risky." "Huh? Whad'ya mean?" asked the boy curiously. "Here, let me show you," was Gennai's only response.

Gennai led Kellen and Culumon further into the dark, mysterious hallway. That's all it seemed to be; a dark endless hallway of bricks, painted with a few hieroglyphics of digimon and the like. All this time during the adventure, these three beings have called it home. And only Gennai seemed to know where he was going.

The wise old man said, "Now I told you that the digital world started out as just computer data, right?" "Yes?" Kellen responded; Gennai explained, "Well, the real world has many things that create such data; like computers, cell phones, laptops, and... uh... I'm not quite sure what else they have.

"But anyway, the digital world feeds off of all of that data, causing bridges between that world and the real one. The problem is, there are many realities based off of these worlds; so if you cross over one bridge, you might wind up in the wrong reality." Kellen asked, "How will I know which reality I'll be jumping in then?" "You don't," answered Gennai, "until you get there. That's the problem. In fact, this could be the reason why the thirteenth Digi-Destined has been lost to us all this time; her D-3 was probably sent to the wrong Real World!"

Kellen paused to think deeply; he then guessed, "OR, maybe it's in the right one, but its data got all screwed up." Gennai stopped walking and turned to his young pupil; "What do you mean by that, exactly?" "Cuu?" Culumon chirped as he jumped onto Kellen's head. Kellen explained, "Well like you said, everything in the digital world was made out of data. If the thirteenth D-3 crossed one of the bridges you were just talking about, then couldn't there be a rift in its programming as a result?"

Gennai scratched his beard to think about this theory; "...Hmmm.... You may be right, Kellen!" The old man then smiled at the boy; "That's why you were chosen as my vice, in case anything happens to me. You're going to be a great Preserver one day, my boy!" Meekly, Kellen giggled; Culumon joined in.

The old man then started walking again; "We really can't waste anymore time talking. We better find the right bridge to take before we lose the new Digi-Destined forever."

Odaiba, Japan.

One beautiful early morning, life in this city was going about its business like it would any other normal day. The buses were running, the gardeners were gardening, the crowd on the streets were passing by each other as if they had not a care in the world. This has once already been the battleground of a fierce war between humans and good digimon against evil digimon.

Those days- and possibly the memories of them- have all but vanished in the seas of time. The city was circulating with economy and carefree playfulness, totally oblivious to the fact that it was missing ten (Mimi and Ken technically don't count) children.

It started out as yet another boring day for Jun Motomiya.

She woke up that morning, thanks to the inconsiderate sunlight that blazed through her window. Yawning and stretching, she spoke not a word, but listened... Total and complete silence.

By now she would be hearing the annoying voice of her brother, yelling something absurd like, "MOM! I can't find my clean underwear!" or something long those lines. Jun batted her eyes, still tired; Davis's voice was her typical wakeup call, only now since he's been gone she's been having a little difficulty waking up.

Ah, breakfast. This would be her eye-opener for the day: pancakes with syrup and strawberry topping. Yum. Taking a sip of her orange juice, she took a good look at her surroundings. Mom in the kitchen, washing the dishes that stood in the sink all night, while Dad was reading the newspaper just seconds before rushing off to work. Such was the typical nature of the household around this time... without Davis.

Then she finally opened her mouth: "I wonder what Davis is doing right now in the digital world." This set her mom off; while dropping a dish, she cried out: "Ohh! I cannot be-LIEVE those digimon people! Taking my son away from us like that, out of nowhere? And in the middle of his school year, on top of it! It's no wonder he was doing so poorly these last few years; he's not getting enough time to spend here! Where he belongs!"

Jun rolled her eyes; why did she even blurt that out when she knew how emotional her mother was? Dad rushed into the kitchen to comfort her, as Jun kept on thinking to herself, _No doubt all the other families are going crazy too... Maybe I'll give some of them a visit. _But what was the use of doing that now? It would soon be time for school.

The classes were getting duller and duller by the days. Jun was starting to lose interest in math class, staring out into the window. She was becoming deaf to what the teacher was saying; she was too busy worrying about other things:

"_I've never even seen the digital world. Davis tells me all about it, and I can get a pretty good idea of what it looks like. ...But it's just not the same hearing it from him. I don't even know if I really wanna see it. I mean... I'm too used to being a normal person. ...Yeah. People like me are too used to being normal, I'd probably freak out the moment I leave this place... But still... I can't help-"_

"Jun!" barked the teacher. Well, back to reality she came.

All throughout lunch period, Jun thought about it; The Digital World, and the digimon that thrived in it. Now the digimon she'd seen- at least, some of them. She was beginning to fully understand everything about them by now- their evolution levels, their personalities, and even their attributes. Heck, Davis never could stop talking about them with her. And the funny thing was, she never seemed to lose interest in them.

But as for the digital world, that was a total mystery to her. Surely it'd have the same kind of environments that this world had; grasslands, mountains, seas... ice tundra, deserts... volcanoes, maybe. Oh, well. Maybe she'd have to just keep on guessing. And the more guessing she made, the sadder she seemed to get.

_"I want you to want me_

_I need you to need me_

_I'd love you to want me_

_I beg you to beg me..."_

In the hallway, Ashley Weidenbaum was signing her favorite tune while trading in her history books for her math ones in her locker. Just as she closed it and turned around, she caught sight of her buddy. "Jun!" she smiled as she approached her; "What's up? How'd you make out in Spanish class?" Jun smirked, "No bien... What's new with you, Ashley?" Ashley glanced to the floor, "Ehh, still sorry about what happened with Davis at the soccer game." Jun giggled, "Ash, that was two weeks ago." Then, Ashley's fake content finally faltered; "...I know, and I haven't seen him since."

Jun's smile dropped; "...I'm sorry." "No," replied Ashley, starting up her walk again; "it's not your fault. I know he's busy..." Jun took a breath and said, "Look. I know this whole digimon thing sounds crazy n' all, but... I can explain it to you if you want." Ashley's smile then returned; "Really? You know what digimon're all about?" Jun was amused to hear someone- especially her best friend- accusing her of having a special knowledge of something she really didn't.

Jun giggled, "Well, it's not like I'm a Digi-Destined or anything-" "It doesn't matter," Ashley then said; "Anybody could know all there is about digimon, and not be a Digi-Destined."

Jun was surprised; all this time she was thinking about what it would be like to be a Digi-Destined, and now here she realizes she doesn't have to be. She blinked, "...W-well... I only know a couple things." Ashley's curiosity overflowed; "Like?..."

(Begin "Irresistible")

They took the rest of this conversation to the park after school, on a bench, oblivious to the passer-bys around them and of the Jessica Simpson song "Irresistible" playing from someone's radio in the background.

Jun continued: "Well, digimon are like real creatures, but they were made like computer characters or something. That's why when they die, they 'delete.' And when they evolve, it just happens like that snap." "Wait," interrupted Ashley; "What about the digital world? Is that like a living computer game?" Jun sighed, "Gee, I dunno. But if people can go in and out of it, then there's gotta be something real to it. Like, it's its own reality- like our world.. only... different." "Ah," was all Ashley could say.

But then she asked, "What's Davis's digimon like?" Jun hummed with a smile, "...Veemon. I saw him once, and for a minute. That's when those guys were beating that big bad guy on the mountain- i forget his name. Anyway, Veemon's like a little kid when he's a Rookie. In fact, he seems a lot like Davis himself; silly, hard-headed... but he's cute." Ashley grinned, "What, and Davis isn't?" Jun raised an eyebrow; "I can't see him the way you do; I'm his sister!" Ashley laughed, "Hahahaha! I know, I was just kiddin'...

"So... How're your folks doing?"

Oh, boy. Here was a topic Jun was hoping would never be brought up. Jun took a deep breath and explained, "Eh, well... Mom's taking it the hardest. She's always been one to keep her cool, but hey let's face it; we're not talking about Davis transferring to another school here! Heh... Yeah, she's upset. and Dad is too, but he's trying to be strong. I bet all the other families are going nuts too, 'cause we don't know how long these guys're gonna be gone."

Then, Ashley asked her a question that Jun never saw coming: "And how're you taking it?" Jun's eyes widened with surprise. No one had ever asked her how she was taking all of this- not even her parents, who were always fooled by her calm, quiet nature. Jun took a minute to think of a good answer to this question; an answer that would be honest and yet well-spoken so that she wouldn't let her bottled up emotions get the best of her and make her blurt out something stupid.

But just then, she did: "I'm jealous of him."

(The song fades out)

"Of Davis?" Ashley chuckled slightly. Jun herself started giggling, realizing how silly it was to be the envy of her often thoughtless brother. She smiled in spite of herself, "Yeah, a little. I mean, he gets to go there and save some other world, while the rest of us have to just stay here and be... normal."

Ashley shrugged, "I like being normal. I mean, can you imagine going up against giant scary monsters?" Jun paused to imagine herself facing a giant beast- although she couldn't really imagine what it would look like, other than being gigantic. She gulped nervously; "Uh... yeah. That would be scary..." Then she sighed sadly, "But it'd be so worth it."

Then Ashley challenged her imagination: "Okay. If you were a Digi-Destined, what kind of digimon would you have?" Jun scratched her chin in deep thought, "Hmmm....." She didn't really give it much thought at all; she smiled in a tickled manner; "It'd be a really, really CUTE one! Hehehehehee!" Ashley laughed with her.

And so, for the rest of the late afternoon, the two girls chatted about digimon, and their evolutions, and how cool it would be to see them for themselves. They seemed to be the only two people in the world who took an interest in digimon.

...Or at least the only two in Japan.

"_They call this a BRIDGE?" _thought the young Kellen, as he and Culumon were sucked into a whirlpool-like portal of light and darkness.

The current was getting wilder, and started pulling at them. Kellen clutched onto his little digimon and called out to him, "Hold on, Culumon!" "Okay!" squeaked the little koala-like creature. The two of them were then pulled completely into a drain-like entrance to what was hopefully the right reality...

When actually, all they saw was a flash of light, and then all at once the scenery became an ocean blue with many thick threads of pure light. "...Where are we?" Kellen wondered aloud. Culumon frowned, "I dunno... I don't think we back home..." Kellen's eyes wandered; "No, we're not... We're in between worlds, I can feel it. I was afraid of this." Culumon's ears folded inward; "I afraid of it now!"

Kellen explained, "This is why the thirteenth Digi-Destined didn't get her D-3. It's here, somewhere; stuck in crossroads of other worlds." "But why?" Culumon asked; Kellen replied, "Well, the digital world is not only made up of computer data, but now it's much more than that. See, the reason why digimon are alive is because they're actually living off of the dreams and imaginations of humans."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are all humans so funny with their brains?"

"No- I mean... It's kinda hard to explain, but I'm betting that the thirteenth Digi-Destined didn't get her D-3 yet is because... she doesn't believe in herself."

"..Aww. That's so sad."

"Yeah- wait a second..."

"What is it?"

"...I thought I saw something in the corner of my eye."

His eyes weren't fooling him; Kellen knew for certain that the D-3 was hiding in this turmoil of realities somewhere. Then, he finally saw it again; a small, faint light far different than the lights of the reality portals. "There!" he pointed it out; in the distant threads, there was a small purplish glow, entangled in reality portals like a bug in a spider web. Kellen smirked to himself, "Wow... It's _literally _stuck between worlds!"

Since he and Culumon were already weightless, the young boy forced himself forward, as if he were swimming without actually taking strokes. Culumon held on tightly to the boy's brow.

Kellen and Culumon made their way to the entangled D-3, which didn't look like much. It seemed to be more like a small ball of digital light, much like the reality portals, only purple. "Ooo, it's pretty!" Culumon smiled, letting his ears expand. Kellen frowned, however; "It's losing its power because of these reality threads. I can untangle it, but I gotta be careful. If I push myself too far into one of these threads, I'll fall right into a reality, and it'll be really hard to find a way back out." Culumon frowned, "You're talking funny."

But Kellen was serious; to fall into a reality would mean to find a portal back home and then having to start over again. And even if he could, just which reality would he fall into? Perhaps one which neither humans nor digimon inhabit. That'd be kinda scary, but it would be worth chancing. This was a D-3; without it, the others would be that less powerful against the forces of evil that were growing all the more in the digital world.

Kellen reached out for it, but the static shocks from the reality threads made him jolt backwards. He clasped onto his hand, groaning. "Kellen!" Culumon gasped; "Are you alright?" "Yeah," Kellen nodded; "...Culumon, you gotta help me." "What can I do?" asked his digimon; Kellen then instructed him, "You might be strong against these electric shocks. Just hold onto these thread thingies and give 'em a nice big tug. I'll grab the D-3 and yank it out of there."

Culumon extended his tiny arms, and clutched onto one reality thread and asked, "Like this?" "Yeah," smiled his human friend; "just like that!" Culumon then struggled to get his tiny paws on the second reality thread; his ears seemed to be flapping, as if he were at this point desperately attempting to fly. Culumon soon cheered, "I got 'em! I got 'em!" "Hold onto them," ordered his human friend. "Okay," nodded the little creature.

Now came the moment. Kellen plunged his hands into the center of the knot, where the disoriented D-3 was. All at once, the static surged through his arms; he gritted his teeth in pain. He would have to endure it for now; he _had _the D-3 in his clutches. He grunted and groaned, as he pulled as hard as he could to yank it out of its trap.

Poor Culumon was losing his grip on the threads, and started wobbling on Kellen's head; "Woah! W-w-w-o-a--ah!" "Culumon!" growled the already-disgruntled human. Culumon cried, "I'm sorry! I'm losing it!" _"....Just... a little more..." _Kellen thought, as he kept pulling, and pulling. He could've sworn that he was beginning to see the D-3 finally taking a solid shape...

That night, the Motomiyas had a gathering of as many families as they could; all of them with at least one Digi-Destined child. The first one to arrive was Matt and T.K.'s mother, who also brought their grandmother. Mr. Motomiya took their coats and welcomed them, "I'm glad you made it." Mrs. Ishida then apologized for the absence of Matt and T.K.'s father; "He's still working at the T.V. station."

Next came the Inoue family- yep, every single member of them save Yolei; the place was already halfway packed.

Before long, they all came... except for a few Digi-Destined siblings, and of course for Mimi's family, who was still in America. Luckily, Mrs. Motomiya took up Davis's laptop and connected it to the Internet, where the families could chat with the Tachikawas online.

While the families were coming in and being welcomed by her parents, Jun witnessed it all from the stairway. She was still caught up in her own little world, the one she's been in all day.

Mrs. Motomiya served the families a superb meal; chicken fried rice, potatoes, and even pasta. She figured that it would be a long night, with everything going on. Most of the parents and children chowed down; but there were those who felt that they weren't hungry... just about all of the mothers.

The Motomiya household was big enough for the fathers and remaining children to hang out and watch television, while all of the mothers gathered into the dining room to have tea and talk. And guess what they were talking about...

Mrs. Ishida started the chat: "Well, I won't lie; I thought the digimon were all bad at first." Joe's mother agreed, "Yes. Who can forget that time they came out with all those bats and ghosts?"

Mrs. Motomiya nodded with a grim look on her face; "We were there in downtown Odaiba when it happened, Davis and me. We went shopping for... something, I forget..."

------------ Flashback; Mrs. Motomiya's POV ------------

"I lost Davis in the middle of all the chaos; people were running and screaming. I only remember things like... The bats, the ghosts... And I know there were a few giant ones...

"Well, anyway, all I can remember at one point was holding onto Davis's wrist while we were running for our own lives from ghosts. And then... I couldn't feel his wrist anymore. I looked back and he was gone..."

(Later, Davis found himself in a mall, surrounded by many other children. He almost felt like he was drafted for something, but he was scared at the same time. There were ghosts and phantoms all around them, and there was also another creature. A small bat-like one, with small talons and torn wings. That creature took the children one by one, and led them to a tall man- no, it wasn't a man. It was a vampire; Myotismon.

For each child the bat creature said, "This might be the one you're looking for, Master!" The tall, nearly human-like vampire would then pull out a small device. Davis couldn't tell what it was, but the vampire was definitely using it to find someone. "No," he snarled; "this isn't the child; the crest isn't reacting. Bring the next one, DemiDevimon!"

When the bat creature came to Davis, he flinched at first. There was definitely something about this human child; he wasn't sure what it was, but it almost felt like a certain... power. DemiDevimon giggled; surely THIS was a child that had what it would take to be a Digi-Destined.

But to his surprise, Myotismon shook his head; "No, none of these children seem to be The One." DemiDevimon blinked, "...Are you sure, Boss? I can almost sense something about _this_ one." But his master wasn't listening, and so Davis and the rest of the children there were sort of released, through a sleep spell.)

"When I woke up from what I guess was a sleeping spell, the whole area was demolished! I found Davis of course, thank God, but I was so shocked at what I missed! What ever caused such mass destruction?"

------------ End Flashback ------------

Davis's mom then concluded, "It could only be the digimon."

Then Sora's mother argued, "Not all of the digimon are bad; the ones that are with our children right now will protect them." T.K. and Matt's mom shook her head in doubt, "Even so, we don't know just how many of those evil ones are there. They could be outnumbered." "She's right," agreed the mother of Tai and Kari.

"Granted, our kids have come a long way after all these years, but every time they're called back to the digital world, their adventures just get more and more dangerous."

Then an instant message from Mimi's mother stated, "Maybe we're over-reacting. I mean, our kids are practically grown up now, right? We always knew that one of these days they would grow up and move out of the house, and whatnot. Not that I'm waiting for it to happen, but it's inevitable. You know?"

Sora's mother nodded and smiled; "...Not only that, but there're usually good things that come out of the digimon adventures. Sora and I sure got a lot closer since those early run-ins with the digimon."

Mrs. Motomiya then said, "I know. I know... But I just can't stop thinking about that day, downtown... To think that something like that can ever happen again. Do you think it could?"

Sora's mother replied, "Anything is possible at this point. And if they're gone for a really long time, we have to be prepared for that as well."

Just then, the Ichijoujis entered the kitchen. Late for the party, as expected, they arrived just in time to hear the words "if they're gone for a very long time..." Ken's mom entered the dining room in a heartbeat and gasped, "Wait... Are we talking about the children? And the digimon?" "Yes," answered Tai and Kari's mom; "feel free to join us."

Ken's mom then took her seat next to Davis's mother and sighed sadly, "It's been weeks already. What if it turns into months? ...A year?" Tai and Kari's mom then shook her head, "Oh, no! I don't think it'll ever become a year since the children left." Mr. Ichijouji then declared, "If it does become a year, we'll have to search for them. I don't care what it'll take, as long as we make sure that the children will be safe."

Finally, she stepped into the dining room and made herself known: Jun. "Children?" she started; "...Mom, I'm sorry; you have every right to worry about Davis and the others... but it just doesn't feel right for me to think of Davis as a little boy anymore. Sure, this all got started when he was young, but have you even noticed how much he's matured since then?" "What?" her mother blinked.

Jun explained, "Ever since he had his own adventures in the digital world, Davis has gotten less and less annoying to me. He hasn't acted so rude and fool-hearty. I've seen it! Sure his jokes are still bad, and he's not quite up to speed with school, but I can't ignore the fact that he's become more independent and... dare I say it... more leader-like."

"Jun," Mr. Motomiya started as he entered the room; "We'd all like to think of the kids as mature young adults here, but-" Jun then protested before her father can finish his sentence; "But Dad! I'm tryin' to say that Davis doesn't need us. At least not now." Jun's mother looked like she was getting angry at Jun; her brows were furrowing. Before she could open her mouth, however, Sora's mother said, "Alright, everybody calm down." Everyone turned their attentions to her as she continued,

"We would all like to think that Sora, Tai, Matt, and all the others, are okay thanks to their digimon partners. No doubt, those creatures- I refuse to call them 'monsters'- will do whatever it takes to make sure our sons and daughters come back home, safe and sound. But we're not talking about them walking in a park with friendly neighbors, of course. There is a war going on here; it's probably been going on for years. And our children are the warrior heroes in this war. The least we could do is cheer them on and know in our hearts that they're just trying to make things right in the digital world-"

"But," interrupted Davis and Jun's mother, "it's not even their world! Why should they even get involved in the first place?" A few of the other parents seemed to demand the answer to that very question, when Jun replied, "Since when is a war ever fought on just one battlefield? In this world alone, many pointless wars happen. In fact, they're ALL pointless; at least the war Davis is fighting has a cause: to wipe out all the evil."

Jun's father then frowned, "Jun, dear, lower your voice."

She glanced back at him, as if surprised at what he said. How could she possibly stay quiet after all this time? Ever since Davis left for this new adventure, she's been burning with a desire to speak her mind, and learn everything she could about digimon. How could she possibly keep quiet now?

She said, "You guys, please... Just hear me out! I know a lot about digimon, 'cause Davis told me. He told me that there're about as many good digimon out there as there are bad ones. so the odds are pretty even, if you think about it. And okay; this might be the toughest battle they've fought yet; but they're gonna get tougher right along with it. They always do! Mom, Dad, all of you, I know you're worried. Heck, I'm a little worried too; I honestly wish i was there to help them-"

"Oh no, you don't!" Jun's mother suddenly argued; "I already lost one child, and I'm not about to lose the other one."

Mrs. Ichijouji clutched onto her heart; "...I know what it feels like... To lose a child, forever. My poor Sam died years ago, and I remember how much it changed Ken. At one point, he seemed so... distant. I don't know if the digimon are involved in that, but I'd like to think that they're the ones that have somehow healed him."

Jun nodded, "They can do that. See, that's the weird thing about them; they fill the voids in the lives of these guys that were chosen to fight with them. It's like their Destiny, if you believe in that stuff. You might not trust digimon, Mom, but I do. And I think that Davis is one of the luckiest guys in the world to get involved with them."

There was a brief pause, drowned shortly afterwards by the "beep" of an instant message on Davis's laptop. It was from Mimi's father: "We're all a little worn out from all these emotions. Maybe we should take a break or something." Sora's mother nodded, "Yes, good point." she then turned to her company and suggested, "Let's just stay here and talk about other things for a change. Like, how're things going besides this whole digimon thing."

Gradually the group was calming down, but the sudden change of subject was, for some reason, not to Jun's liking. She took one last glance at her parents before retiring to her room.

That same night, Mr. Ishida's television station was going about its business as usual.

Inside, there were people busily keeping in tact the television stations, readying each station for its next commercial, its next program. Ishida monitored his most diligent of workers; the ones who were responsible for sound and screen editing for particular shows. There would be no static, and no unnecessary technical difficulties tonight. He was sure of it.

Then, one of the television viewers in the main room caught a glimpse of something on the screen. A shadow. He jumped nearly out of his seat, "W-wha? ...What was that?" He stared at the screen for a few minutes, as if entranced, to see if he could spot the shadow again. But it was gone... at least for his screen.

Soon enough, there were young men and women in the studios freaking out at the fact that something was jumping across the screen. what it was exactly, they weren't sure, until somebody who's been working at this studio for several years now brought it up: "It's almost like that ghost we had a few years ago! Who here remembers that?" That's when Ishida entered the main monitor room, to check up on this new problem.

"What's going on here?" he demanded to know. One of his employees pointed to the nearest screen and replied, "There-there's s-something there, sir. Somebody said it might be a ghost!" "...A ghost?" he replied, with a certain tone of disbelief in his voice. "I s-saw it," the employee gulped; "I really did; looked like someone was flying!" "Let me see it," Ishida commanded.

He then took charge of the main editing computer, rewinding as much footage as he could in little time. He was recapping the images to see if he could see this "flying thing" as no more than an error in the computer's system. At least, that's what he was hoping. "....I see nothing here," he said; but then someone in the background yelled, "AAHH! There it is! It just jumped across the screens!" Ishida whipped his head around to see if he could catch a glimpse of it... But he was one second too late.

His eyes narrowed; he knew something was there now; "Where is it now?" he wondered. "Sir," said a young female employee, "Should I contact the satellite?" Ishida stood up tall and ordered, "I don't want anybody touching anything for now. Whatever it is, hopefully it'll go away." "...And what if it doesn't?" asked another employee. Ishida was at a loss for words at the moment...

Outside of the studio, there was nothing but darkness, and a vacant alleyway nearby. No one was present to see the very air rip apart, like it was made of paper. From the portal fell young Kellen and Culumon; they plopped onto the ground rather hard. "Oww- oof," they both huffed. As the portal was sealing itself up, Kellen got to his feet as quickly as he could, and dusted himself off. Culumon took advantage of the fact that his ears were big and light enough to be wings, and soon found himself weightless. He giggled as he lifted himself in the air.

Kellen observed the surroundings; "....We're here.... But which here?" "HEY!" Called out a grown-up voice from a distance. The sudden voice scared Culumon, and he darted for Kellen's head. Kellen looked up, and saw that a young man was calling him from a window of the television studio.

Acting casually, Kellen waved, "Hi!" Obviously the man above him missed the portal-jumping moment, as he said, "This place is restricted, kid; you gotta go home." Kellen apologized, "I'm sorry; I was just... kinda lost. Could you please tell me where I am, that I might know the way home?" The man replied, "You're at the Channel Four TV station; the town's that way (pointing to his right)."

Kellen really needed to know if he made it to the correct reality; he sputtered, "But-" "Go home!" was all the man said before shutting the window.

Kellen then looked downward, to his right hand. Tightly gripped in it was the elusive purple D-3. Kellen sighed, "Well, Culumon, we're gonna have to find a way back home from here." Culumon sighed, "Boy... This stuff's Culu-hard." "Yeah..." agreed his exhausted friend.

"Lousy kid and his silly stuffed animal toy," muttered the man as he turned away from the window. His comrade nearby asked, "What kid?" The first man, not in the mood to recount the events to a tee, simply put it, "There's a lost kid out there. I told him to go home." The other guy frowned, "Hey, we better tell the boss! We can't just leave kids out here."

Sure enough, the word spread to Mr. Ishida that there was a little boy in the area outside. "A kid?" he frowned; "Where?" The first man that found Kellen directed him, "This way; I dunno if he's still out there..."

Kellen took a seat on a stack of seemingly neglected boxes that had been left in a corner of the building; Culumon lay flat on his belly beside him. Kellen had with him a small device that seemed to be similar to the D-3, but black and red. He was typing up a little code on it, when Ishida and two other men found him.

"Oh! There you are," Ishida said; his voice startled both Kellen and Culumon. Both of them jumped up; Kellen gasped, "Huh? What? Oh! ...Heh-heh-heh... Hi there!" Ishida then turned his attention to the tiny creature that was beside the boy, and which was very much alive. Culumon stared up at him very curiously; "Awwww," he peeped.

Ishida blinked a few times; "...I-.... Is that... a digimon?" Worried about the consequences of revealing a digimon to a stranger, Kellen hid Culumon behind his back instantly and lied, "Huh?- Oh! ...No, no, it's just s-some... toy I got. One of those... uhh... Furbie things." Ishida wasn't buying it; "I've seen digimon before. My two sons, in fact, are in the digital world as we speak."

Kellen's eyes lit up; "...You're... You're the father of two Digi-Destined?" Just then, Culumon got tired of hiding and crawled back up Kellen's head. Ishida then dismissed his employees, who in his opinion have seen too much as it was. Ishida then sat down beside Kellen explained, "Yes... My sons are Matt and T.K. They've been gone for almost three weeks now." "Three weeks?" Kellen replied; "The time in the digital world must be warped; the Digi-Destined have been there for approximately half a month now."

"How do you know about them?" Ishida asked; then glancing at Culumon he added, "and where did you acquire this little guy?" Kellen smiled as he scooped Culumon into his hands; "This is Culumon... I'm sort of from the digital world, too; I'm a Preserver." "Ahhh," Ishida responded; he didn't quite understand what Kellen was talking about, but he could care less.

"Tell me," he asked, "how're they doing? Everybody here is worried about them." Kellen nodded, "Oh, they're alright. They have to prep up three incredibly powerful digi-creatures for their own personal fight. But it might take a while..." "And what brings you here?" Ishida asked. Kellen felt a little hesitant to answer, but he did: "I'm here to deliver a D-3 to a new Digi-Destined. You may know her; her name is Jun Motomiya."

Ishida's face dropped. He knew how worried the Motomiyas already were, what with their son called away from them. He sighed sadly, "...If you take her, her parents will lose their minds." "...I'm sorry," young Kellen frowned; "...but we have no choice. We need all the help we can get over there, and sadly, our numbers for help are very limited at this point."

"Oh, I understand," Ishida nodded; "I'm trying not to worry myself; Matt and T.K. are big boys now, and they can take care of themselves. And even so, they have a lotta people and digimon taking care of them." "Right," Kellen smiled and nodded.

Culumon then approached Ishida with the comment, "You're really big. Are you a Champion human or an Ultimate?" "Culumon," Kellen huffed, pulling his little digimon away from Ishida. Ishida, however, was tickled by the comment and giggled.

Kellen smiled to Ishida, "...Yeah. Jun's gonna be a big help. And I just know that her digimon is really itching to meet her." Ishida nodded, "Whoever it is, I'm sure that digimon will be the best guardian there is. I'll tell her parents that you were here; who knows? Maybe it'll ease their worries.... what're you doing?" He noticed that the boy was typing up something on his own little device, like it was a miniature computer.

Kellen explained, "This is a different kind of digivice; it not only carries its own data, but can give digimon an advantage with just the swipe of a card... I made it myself; I call it a D-arc." Ishida raised an eyebrow; "What're using it for now?" Kellen answered, "Well, I'm doing something similar to what you call 'logging on' to the Internet; this D-arc's data will connect to the Internet's streams, opening its own portal, and allow the D-3 to teleport itself to Jun." Ishida smiled, "That's some amazing device!" Kellen giggled, "Yeah, and can you believe it? Some humans from yet another reality think it's _their_ idea."

And so, the portal through the Internet was opened, and the purple D-3 was starting to fade away, into the data stream.

Jun had been playing one of many Digimon card games with an invisible opponent when it happened. It was on the bed of her bedroom; she threw down a Devimon card against a Betamon card in victory. "There," was all she said. She often enjoyed this kind of hobby, but this was the first time she's ever done it alone. Any other time, her opponent would be Davis, and he always won so this counted as her first ever victory. Still, it didn't feel right.

She hummed to herself. The house had gotten quiet since she took to her room to separate herself from the parents. She actually felt offended when she heard her mother bad-mouthing the digimon; like one digimon counted for all of them when Jun knew in her heart that Mom was wrong. Davis would be back.... It was just a matter of time....

Staring at the cards on the bed mattress, listening deeply to the quiet, Jun was beginning to realize finally what had been eating her all day. She didn't just miss the digimon. She missed her brother.

Then, her computer just started glowing. _"Funny," _she thought to herself; _"I don't remember turning it on." _She was drawn to this warm, aqua-colored light. This was no ordinary glow coming from the monitor, and she knew it. That's when she realized that she was right; she _didn't_ turn it on.

As she drew closer and closer to it, she felt a little scared and curious at the same time. Then, she gazed into the screen, her hands pressing against the table, top. She heard this soft sound, like a bell ringing, or something like it. As that happened, a purple glow centered around the monitor, and it started getting brighter and brighter- actually, it was getting closer and closer.

Jun stepped back in surprise, seeing a small purple-glowing sphere actually coming straight out of her computer. Not even thinking about it, she held out her hands to it. The sphere then rested itself in the palm of her hands, and when it did, it hazed from pure light into the purple D-3. Jun's eyes sparkled with shock; she muttered, "Ohh...!"

She really couldn't believe what she was seeing, what she was holding. A purple D-3, right in her hands. It definitely wasn't Davis's, but... "Is.... Is this..... mine?" She heard the words come out of her mouth, but was still so surprised to even believe what she was saying.

And then, as if under some kind of spell, she saw herself turning the D-3 back towards the computer monitor. The monitor reacted with a blue light, much brighter and more powerful than any light she's seen yet. It flashed and flared, making her blink only once.

And then... she was gone.

TO BE CONTINUED


	12. O Sister, Where Art Thou?

_"Since my showoff brother Davis took all his friends back to the Digital World, I was left here in the real one, to help all the parents and siblings who've been worried sick about them. Little did I know that I myself was a Digi-Destined; the only thing keeping me from my true destiny was the fact that my digivice was cut off from all known realities. It took the team-up between a young Preserver and a digimon named Curumon to get it back, and now it's off to the Digi World I go! WOO!"_

_-Jun_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twelve: "O Sister, Where Art Thou?"**

Deep in the jungles of Gaiamon's territory, a flash of purple light flickered in the clear blue sky. Then, like a violet falling star, came the missing Digi-Destined. Jun. And like anything falling from the sky would do, she let out a high-pitched scream.

In the distance, a tree with a young woman's face was watching her fall contently. It was as if she knew all too well who it was that was falling, and what would happen to her next.

Jun had her eyes covered, thinking that this would be her undoing; just seconds of being in this enchanted new place, and she'd already be dead!

But, no.

The purplish halo that she came flying in with had suddenly morphed into a giant bubble, and it slowed her fall down almost to a complete stop. Now she paused to look around, seeing that she was at least one mile away from solid ground. She let out a loud sigh, blinked twice, and allowed herself to float downwards. She then giggled to herself, "Now _that's _how you make an entrance."

The sea never looked more peaceful, now that Oceanamon was free to make herself known to the public. Just to make sure she was safe, Gommamon and Gabumon stood watch on the beach, just minutes before it was time for the Digi-Destined to move on to the mountains.

Gommamon was watching a tiny little crab scurry across his way, when the Keeper of The Seas herself- in mermaid form- came shooting out of the water like a geyser. _"YAAAAAA-HOOOOO!" _she cheered. This burst of joy, no doubt, had started her two watchmen.

Gabumon's ears perked up; "...Uh, is everything okay?" "Yes!" replied the vigorous mermaid; "She has arrived! My Child of Humility has finally arrived!" As she made another flip, Gommamon blinked, "...Wait, who?" Oceanamon explained while making waves, "I can feel it in the atmosphere; the harmony is coming together. Jun Motomiya is now in the digital world!"

As if on cue, Davis and Veemon skidded into the scene. Davis shouted, "My sister!? HERE?" "Yay!" was all Veemon could say. Davis then turned to Veemon and said, "We gotta go find her! Let's go!"

Oceanamon waved to them; "She's in Gaiamon's land! I'll send for Penguinmon to search as well." Davis was in too much of a hurry to even stick around to hear this last bit of information. Perhaps it was just as well. Jun was his sister; therefore, she was his responsibility.

Jun's soft landing caused the bubble she was in to disintegrate on the spot. "woah," she gasps softly, and started dusting off her shirt. Then, she took time to look at her surroundings; "....Wow.... It's like a rainforest out here."

Indeed, there were exotic flowers, small and steady rivers, and willow-like trees just slowly dancing to the warm summer wind. Jun stretched her arms, "It's so beautiful... And I'm finally HERE! Hahahahaha... Oh! I wonder where the others are... Maybe they're right by here. I'll just turn around and-"

**Bump!**

She had run into something just as she turned around. She stared at it with a confused look on her face, for all she could see now was a black void. "Hey... Is it nighttime all of a.....sudden....?" That's when she looked upward. It wasn't a night scene at all. She just simply ran into a creature whose fur was black as night. It smiled down at her, with sharp grinning teeth and deep red cat-like eyes. It giggled, with a voice that was mixed between a male's and a female's; "What's the matter? Are you lost?"

Jun blinked; obviously this was a digimon, but she never thought for a second that one would be this tall! "Um," she peeped. The Shadowmon bent down to look her square in the face; "Hmmmmm?" it grinned. Jun laughed nervously at those teeth; "Uh-heh-heh. I- I should be going now; it's getting late." She turned around to the other side, only to see another Shadowmon staring at her.

It smiled, "What's your hurry? We'd like you to stick around and play." Jun, now sweating a little, made her timid smile again; "Uh, no, that's okay. I'm just looking around for my friends." She was trying to move to the left, when a third Shadowmon appeared beside her. It grinned, "We'll be your friends." The second added, "Let's play 'Turn The Human Upside Down And See What Falls Out Of Her Pockets!'"

Jun shrieked as the game went into play immediately. The first Shadowmon snatched her by the leg and turned her upside down. Then, giving her a rough shake, Jun watched helplessly as loose change, wrapped bubblegum and a cell phone came flying out of her pockets. "AUGH! Stop! Put me DOWN! AAHH! STOP IT!" she yelled. But the mischievous Shadowmon were already picking at the fallen goods, giggling sinisterly.

One of them picked up the cell phone and gasped, "Oooooo. What's this thing?" "Put that down, you freak!" was all Jun could say. The Shadowmon instead pushed a few buttons on it.

**BEEEEEP!!**

The sound made the Shadowmon jump with surprise. It then looked deeper into its tiny monitor that was placed just above the buttons. There was a series of digital bitmaps running across the screen. _"Preeetyyyy," _smiled the entranced Shadowmon.

That's when Jun's purple D-3 fell from one of her shirt pockets. Once it hit the ground, all Shadowmon eyes fell on it. "HMMM?" they all hummed in perfect unison. Jun, still upside down, gasped, "Oh no!... D-don't touch that!" But it was too late; one of them pulled out its long black claws and picked it right up.

The Shadowmon hissed with a smile, "Aaaaah.. A digivice." The one holding Jun's cell phone then gasped, "Ooo! I want it! Here, you get the pretty thing if you let me have it!" Shielding the D-3, the other Shadowmon hissed, "NO! You keep the pretty thing; I want this!" The first one shoved the second; "I saw it first!" The second shoved the first; "I got it fair and square!"

They scuffled for a few more seconds, until the third Shadowmon- the one holding Jun by her ankles- looked to her and suggested, "Hey! ...Why don't we _flip_ for it?" "Huh?" the other two blinked. The one holding Jun smiled, "Yeah! We'll flip the human for whoever gets the digivice." "WHAT?" Jun hollered; "YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!" But the other two Shadowmon were all but too pleased about the idea; one of them nodded, "Yeah! If she lands on her head, I get it!" The second then declared, "If she lands on her feet, then I keep it!" The third then grinned, "And if she lands on one of her sides, then it's all mine!"

Needless to say, Jun had her fit: "IF ANY ONE OF YOU BUNNIES FROM HELL TOUCH ME OR MY THINGS, I'M GONNA-" "Shuddup," growled her captor as it covered her mouth. Then it raised her up and smiled to its friends; "You ready?" "Yeah," they grinned.

Not a one of them noticed the vines snaking their way from deep within the jungle's dark areas. The vines mustered themselves up into one, and headed straight for Jun's captor from behind. It was readying itself to throw her into the air; "One..... Two...."

**BAM!**

"ARUGH!!" The Shadowmon was struck in the back all of a sudden. Enraged, it looked around and saw nothing. It roared, "WHO HIT ME!?" The other two Shadowmon glanced at each other, and shrugged. The lead Shadowmon then put Jun down, but grasped onto her arm so she wouldn't run away. It looked around in a paranoid manner; "Whoever got me from behind is really gonna get it!" "Honestly," said the second one; "I didn't see no-"

**WHACK!**

"ARUGH!!" screamed that very same Shadowmon, as something hit it square in the head from behind. The pile of vines whisked themselves away just before it turned around and saw them.

The Shadowmon then turned to the one beside it, and hissed, "...What was _that_ for?" The third one frowned, "What?" "You hit me!" proclaimed the one who now had a bump on the back of its head. "I did not!" replied the accused. Then, the third one- the one holding the D-3- was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by a bunch of rolled up vines. "Huh?" it gasped, and upon turning its head the vines quickly pulled the D-3 from its claws. Then, it looked down and saw that its prize was now gone.

"HEY!" it roared, and turned to the one holding the cell phone; "YOU TOOK MY DIGIVICE!" "I DID NOT!" the other one yelled back. Meanwhile, the one holding Jun was looking away, towards the darkness of the forest. While it wasn't looking, the vines came out of nowhere, rolled into two balls, and punched the other two Shadowmon square in the face-

**BAM!!**

Now, the ones that just got punched, turned their heads slowly to the lead Shadowmon furiously. The newly accused one just looked back at them, clueless as to what just happened. Then, all at once, the three Shadowmon fell onto each other in a huge scuffle! Punches flew and voices roared, and all three of them were so dark it almost appeared to be a black storm cloud that had somehow made it to the earth from the sky, trying to fix up its own little storm.

Jun took the opportunity to gather up as many things as she could- including her cell phone and D-3- and ran like the wind! "HEY!" a Shadowmon finally called out; it raised its claws to the human and roared, "SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" The three of them tried to separate themselves from each other to make chase, when suddenly a swarm of tree vines came at them, wrapped themselves around the Shadowmons' legs, and lifted them off the ground.

Jun took a moment to catch her breath, and watched with a soft smile her captors hanging from the trees like flies in a spider web. She liked very much how the tables have turned... but now it was time to run again. So off she went, into the darkness of the wood.

In the distance, the vine-weaver herself, Gaiamon, laughed mischievously.

Jun flew through the jungle paradise as quickly as she could- nearly tripping over a few tree roots and small bumps in the process.

As soon as the first shock of pain pierced her side, she skidded to a halt and leaned on a willow tree. She took a moment to catch her breath, only to be startled by a Gekomon that was hanging on the tree she was leaning against. He gave a peep; she gave a shriek. And then, off she ran again.

The sun was sinking fast in the treetops above; Jun was headed deeper and deeper into the unknown woods. She heard hoots, and screeches, and other such beastly noises; and she jumped and gasped at almost all of them. She even saw a few glowing eyes from the trees and tall grass here and there. This place, despite its beauty, was becoming a little creepy for her tastes.

Then, finally, she saw a space in the woods where the sun was allowed to shine. It was a peaceful looking space, where there were mushrooms and tall flowers growing about. Jun decided to rest here for as long as she was able, right by a patch of wild blue flowers.

She leaned up against them like they were a pillow- but they weren't even flowers! Rather, they were a whole swarm of butterflies that flew rampantly about once she touched them. "YIEE!" she cried out in shock, and swatted them away. It took her a minute to realize what they were, but by then they were already gone.

Jun looked upward, to the treetops, and let out a small sigh. She frowned, and that's when even stranger creatures came out from the darkness. Tree branches became the perches of Monmon and Toucanmon, and the feet of those trees became vacant of Gatsumon, Lopmon, Terriermon, and Elecmon. Even some of the plants nearby made themselves known to be Mushroomon and Floramon. They all stared at her blankly, as if they've never seen such a creature like her before. She just leaned against a tree and stared back, blankly.

"...They're real...." she muttered to herself, and her thoughts were added, _"I can't believe all this is... happening.... I'm, like, scared and excited all at the same time... Am I ever gonna get used to this?"_

"HURRY UP, EXVEEMON!"

"I'M FLYING AS FAST AS I CAN, DAVIS!"

"STOP YELLING AT ME!"

"WELL, YOU YELLED AT ME FIRST!"

"OKAY!"

"ALRIGHT!"

"YOU'RE STILL YELLING!"

"SORRY!"

The young man and his digimon tore through the sky as if they were the wind itself, though the speed they were in didn't seem to be as good as the human would've liked it to be. "You know, Davis," ExVeemon spoke a lot softer, "Maybe Jun can take care of herself out here. Maybe she doesn't need us." "Are you crazy?" Davis argued; "She's never been here before! She can get killed by somethin' just like that." "Just like what?" asked the Champion; obviously he was too busy with his swift flying to think straight.

Davis impatiently replied, "Just find her, Ex!" "You find her," ExVeemon then said; "use your digivice!" "...Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," Davis admitted, and pulled out his blue D-3. The little monitor of his advanced digivice started showing a grid, and on the grid flickered a tiny blue light, in the top right hand corner. Surely, this was to indicate Jun's location from where he was.

_"I still can't believe it," _Davis thought to himself; _"my own sister... A Digi-Destined! ...But why now? Why wasn't she needed before?..." _"Davis," ExVeemon interrupted. "What?" Davis frowned; ExVeemon replied, "We're coming to a clearing. Where to?" Davis pointed the way: "Right! Go right, ExVeemon." ExVeemon saw it; "To the rainforest?" Davis nodded, "That's it, boy! Full speed ahead!"

Others were watching this scene unfold, from regions so far they could very well have been off the charts. They were gazing into a bubble that acted as an all-seeing crystal ball. One of them was seemingly human... the other, a Sin Digimon.

Pridemon gazed at it with a slight frown; she crossed her arms and said, "And now we have to worry about thirteen of them." Daru rubbed his chin; "This was expected. At least now the children are becoming scattered."

Elsewhere, the voice of Envymon replied, "Greedmon thinks our victory is secure, while he has the Crest of Humility." Daru gave a slight nod; "We'll let the Shadowmon have their fun with the new arrival, while we just make sure her digimon doesn't find her soon enough."

"Aren't we being a bit careless about this?" Pridemon asked; Daru answered, "Even if she can turn her digimon into a Champion, finding her crest at this point will be all but impossible. Let's just focus on the other children for now; they're trying to get back to their search for Polarimon."

Someone else was listening in on this conversation. Indeed, it was another Sin Digimon; the quietest and most blood-thirsty of them all: Wrathmon. Its brick-red eyes narrowed, and he let out a very soft growl.

Just as Daru had said; Tai was leading the way for what was left of the hero team far from Oceanamon's beach resorts, onward towards the mountain plains.

"Are we there yet?" little Patamon dared to ask; "Oh no, don't start that now," his human partner warned. Patamon just smiled, "Oh hey, it wouldn't be a trip if someone didn't ask 'Are we there yet?'!" Yolei stated, "The sooner we get there, the better."

Then Mimi added, while glaring her eyes at Tai and Matt, "Yeah, as long as we don't start to _march_!" Matt just grinned, "Oh, come on. That was fun!"

Izzy was being the most careful of them all, by turning his digivice into a compass which had a similar grid on it as Davis's D-3. Tentomon buzzed nearby; "So far so good, right Izzy?" Izzy replied while not taking his eyes off of his digivice, "I hope so. So far, there doesn't seem to be any frequency that's trying to mess with the map."

Tai, bowing his head, sighed, "I just hope we get her this time. If those Sin Digimon are still out there, we may-" "Don't say it!" Patamon peeped while suddenly grabbing onto the back of Tai's hair. "D'yah!" Tai let out, nearly falling from the impact. Patamon smiled, "Always look on the bright side! Remember, nobody got ahead in life while looking down all the time." Tai narrowed his eyes; "Where'd you hear that?" "TK," the little digimon answered sweetly.

TK himself gave a sigh, "I'm with Tai on this one now; it just seems like Polarimon's the hardest Keeper to find."

Yolei stopped, and looked upward towards the skies; "Hey... She's the Keeper of the Skies, right?" "Yeah?" Ken responded nearby; Yolei smiled, "Maybe we can call her now! YO! POLARIMON! COME ON OUT N' SHOW YOURSELF! PLEAAASE!" Tai looked at her downheartedly; "We already tried that." Gatomon rubbed her ears; "And some of us are still healing from it!"

Yolei just crossed her arms; "...Why should it be so hard? So, Gaiamon's a tree, and Oceanamon's a mermaid. What would Polarimon take the form of? A cloud?"

Gommamon, who was trailing behind, laughed to himself, "Maybe she can't hear us 'cause she's an airhead! Hahahahaha! Get it?.... Air?..... Aw, what happened to you guys!? We used to cheap-joke all the time!" "Stop living in the past season," his tall human partner Joe stated.

Hawkmon then landed beside Yolei and looked at her for a few seconds. She looked back; "...What?" Hawkmon answered boldly, "I don't mean to sound rude, Yolei, but perhaps the reason for Polarimon's absence is... you." Naturally, his human partner took offense: "HUH!? Hawkmon, how could you SAY that!?" The little eaglet backed up and shielded himself with his wings; "I- I-I didn't mean to say it like that! I'm sorry!" She growled, "Well, what did you mean by that then? Huh? HUH? ANSWER ME!" "Calm down," Kari had suddenly approached her by saying.

Yolei glared at her; "It's not my fault this is happening. I'm doing the best I can, just like everybody else!" Kari shook her head defensively, "No, no, no, please listen to me. I think I know what he's trying to say!" Yolei took a moment to pause, and in blinking, she finally asked, "....What?" Kari took a breath, and as she did the others came around to listen in.

She then said, "Well, think about all of us for a minute. Tai, Ken, Cody and Mimi all got their crests from Gaiamon. That's four. Matt, Izzy, Joe and Jun all got their crests from Oceanamon. That's four too. And Davis is apparently getting his crest piece by piece by all three Keepers. Which leaves only you, me, Sora and TK. And we all know what crests we're getting... But Yolei, when you got started as a Digi-Destined, you didn't have your own crest."

Cody gasped, "That's right! Gaiamon gave me the Crest of Justice."

Kari nodded, "And Jun and Davis have their own crests now... That leaves only Yolei with a crest we've never seen before."

Yolei's spirits fell right then and there; she frowned sorrowfully, "...so.... So I need a new crest to call Polarimon?...." Kari shrugged, "Well, chances are you'll get it when she comes. But maybe... Maybe somehow you'll have to earn it on your own." Hawkmon took flight just to look Yolei face-to-face as he added, "And there's nothing wrong with that, my dear!" Yolei sighed deeply, "...I guess... you're right. So... What _is_ my crest?"

This brief conversation was soon cut off by a high-pitched whistle coming from the distance. They all looked ahead, and saw a rocky cliff just a mile or two away from where they stood. Atop of that cliff stood two Shadowmon, who just smiled down on them like a welcome wagon. Matt blinked, "...There's only two of them!" "Don't let that stop us," Tai replied.

On cue it seemed, the two Shadowmon leaped into the air in perfect unison. Then, in mid air, they both rolled up into balls as they somersaulted, and then all at once they morphed into a GigaDramon and a MegaDramon. Two cyborg dragons, one orange and one purple, who both packed mighty missiles from within their claws. Tai balled a fist; "Here we go!"

Then all at once, all of the heroic digimon had changed into their Champion forms. Their foes came at them through the air, and opened fire.

"DARK SIDE ATTACK!"

"GUILTY WING!"

They leveled the land with their missiles and wing slices, and the ground quaked on impact. The humans were all knocked to the floor. TK gathered himself and called out, "Be careful, they're Ultimates now!" Tai, who was lying on his belly nearby, pulled out his Crest of Courage and nodded, "Right... Time to pull out the big guns."

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

"GREYMON, DIGIVOLVE TO........................ METAL GREYMON!"

"GARURUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO....................WERE GARURUMON!"

"STINGMON, DIGIVOLVE TO......................... DINOBEEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"HA! Three against two," snarled Metal Greymon to the two cyborg dragons. "We shall see," hissed GigaDramon, the purple version of the two villains.

While the Ultimates danced in the air, Aquilamon suggested to his fellow Champions, "Let's get our friends out of here!" They gave him a nod, and the humans and Champions alike made a swift run for it. "Oh no, you don't!" called out the orange MegaDramon; "DARK SIDE-"

"GARURU KICK!" blocked Were Garurumon. The cyborg dragon moved backwards a bit, then lashed at the werewolf with his metal claws. The werewolf was fast on his feet, dodging the claws while jumping onto the dragon's head. But that wouldn't be enough to keep himself safe from GigaDramon's tail.

"Get off him!" roared the purple dragon, as he whacked WereGarurumon off of his twin's head. "GIGA BLASTER," announced Metal Greymon; as he did so, two heat-seeking missiles shot from his robotic chest. GigaDramon gracefully dodged these missiles, and he turned to his enemy with a grin; "Is that all you got?"

The humans that stuck around were Tai, Ken and Matt. Ken blinked, "Man, they're fast. And smart, too! It's almost as if they were real digimon, not shadows." Tai shrugged, "Well, I guess there's a first time for everything."

Matt looked around and said, "...Hey. Am I the only one worried that there's only two of them, and not more? You'd think they'd go after the others by now." Ken blinked; "...You're right..." He then turned his head, and shouted to his retreating friends, "GUYS, WATCH OUT FOR-"

Just then, the ground opened up before them, and out poured a geyser of Shadowmon that headed straight for the escapees. Ken sweat-dropped; "...an ambush."

The Ultimate heroes turned around, and saw that their Champion friends were getting buried up to their faces in Shadowmon. "Oh no," muttered Metal Greymon. "Oh, yes!" replied MegaDramon; with that, he and his twin roared, "DARK SIDE ATTACK!" They combined their missile attacks against their Ultimate enemies, and the impact was more than the three heroes could handle.

In the midst of all this, the Champions were fighting off the Shadowmon group with their own attacks:

"NEEDLE SPRAY!"

"METEOR WING!"

"HAND OF FATE!"

Many of the Shadowmon were evaporated on sight, but one had gotten its claws on Yolei right before Aquilamon could finish it. "Let her go!" the giant eagle growled; the Shadowmon hissed, "You'll have to catch me first, Big Bird!" With that, it laughed as it took off swiftly with Yolei. The bull-horned eagle chased it down, until they had reached the rocky cliffs.

The Shadowmon had set the human girl right on top, looking over a rather steep and dangerous-looking pit below. Yolei panicked, "Ugh... Aquilamon! Help me!" "BLAST RINGS!" was his reaction, and shooting from his beak were three laser rings. They had hit the Shadowmon directly, but unfortunately for Yolei, she had lost her balance.

"YOLEIII!" roared Aquilamon, as he dove down to try and save her. But it was too late; the Shadowmon's plan had worked. She fell into the cavern; "YAAAAAAAaaaaahhhh....." Aquilamon hovered in mid-air helplessly; "....yolei....? YOLE- ARUGH!" He was struck from behind by GigaDramon, and crashed roughly into a pile of rocks on the cliff.

"Alright... That does it," hissed DinoBeemon. His wings spread out, giving off a near-Heavenly light. He roared, "IRRITANT BUZZ!" His wings then flapped so quickly, they gave off a blast of light, and the noise that shot out with that light was about as equal as a sonic boom. On impact of the light and sound, all remaining Shadowmon had disappeared. Ken, standing nearby, was stunned; "....wow...." was all he could say.

But the Ultimate baddies were still alive. Both of them laughed while MegaDramon added, "We'll see ya later!" Then they took off into the air, and out of sight.

Nearby, still lying helplessly on the rocky hilltop, Aquilamon opened his eyes weakly and muttered sadly, "...yolei...."

Deep within Gaiamon's forest regions, Jun was still very lost, but not quite alone anymore. She had traveled on foot for a while, until she made it out of the darker heart of the woods. Now, she was nearing an open plain that copied that of the African Serengeti. She had also reached a fork in the road; luckily, she wasn't too proud to ask for directions.

"Excuse me," she politely said to a Kiwimon; "I'm looking for other humans like me. Have you seen any?" Kiwimon, as its name suggested, was a miniature, wingless bird with a skull-like helmet on its face. It replied with an ironically mature voice, "Humans? What's a humans?" Jun patiently pointed to herself and answered, "I'm a human." Kiwimon blinked, "Don't you mean 'hu-mon?'" Jun shook her head, "No, hu_man. _I'm no digimon."

Kiwimon laughed, "Ha! That's silly! Not a digimon; yeah right, sister." Jun replied, "Honestly, I'm not a digimon." Kiwimon then asked, "If you're not a digimon, then how did you get here?" Jun's mind went blank; "Uhhh.... I fell from the sky?" Kiwimon gave a humble nod, "It hurts, being a flightless bird. I know." "I'm not a bird," Jun argued; her patience was already waning. Kiwimon then asked, "Then what kind of digimon are you?"

Jun then started yelling, "I'm not a DIGIMON!"

"Not a digimon!?" came a voice from the treetops. Jun looked up, and saw a tiny pink mouse creature with big, goofy eyes. He laughed, "Hahaha! Look, you guys, somebody's in denial!" Then all at once, a whole group of Chuumon jumped onto the tree braches, and laughed at Jun in harmony.

Jun stomped her foot; "Oh, come on. Gimmie a break!" But they and the Kiwimon just laughed on. Jun sighed, no longer feeling the desire to argue with these creatures, and sent herself on her way. Before she left, she heard one of the Chuumon say, "I bet she _is_ a bird!"

When she had finally opened her eyes, Yolei had found herself at the bottom of a rocky cliff, which was shadowed due to the fact that she was on the sun's opposite side. Taking a breath, she leaned forward; but then she realized that her legs were rather bent out of shape. She had taken a nasty fall, thanks to the previous attack.

The other thing bothering her was her aching head; she moaned softly as she rubbed her brow in discomfort. That's when it hit her: she was alone. All alone. "....Hawkmon?....... Tai? ....Kari?...... Anybody?" She tried calling out to her friends, but being slightly exhausted as she was, her voice wasn't as strong as she wanted it to be.

She bowed her head, already feeling an uneasy pit in her stomach. But then, she received a response: "_I'm_ here."

Yolei let out a small yipe, and leaned back on the rocky wall that supported her. To her right, she saw a pair of emerald green eyes, which were soon accompanied by a humanoid, feminine grin. Two extra-long canine teeth shone with that grin. Yolei let out a gasp, which the shadow responded to calmly: "Relax..." Then, the snake-like woman with a body of pure darkness slithered halfway into the light. She presented her unarmed hands and smiled, "I'm in no mood to battle you. Hmm... Not yet."

Yolei gulped, "...Who... What are you?" The shadowy one took a small bow; "I am Envymon." The human girl then froze with fear; "..You're- you're one of _them! _A Sin Digimon!" Envymon just leaned downward and supported herself with a hand on her chin; "Now, now. It's not my nature to fight someone who is completely without a digimon, or a crest."

Yolei gasped, "....I have a digimon. And when he finds me-" "Oh, yes, " Envymon nodded with boredom in her tone; "That little chicken one." "His name," Yolei growled, "is Hawkmon! And you better stay away from me or he'll-" "Or he'll what?" Envymon grinned; "turn into Aquilamon? Hmm? Is that what you were going to say? ....You know, I am far more powerful than any mere Champion. Tell me something... uh.... Yolei, is it?... How will Aquilamon defeat me, if you don't have your won crest?"

Yolei turned her head away; "Stop it." "Stop what?" blinked the Sin Digimon. Yolei turned back to her and replied, "You're just... messing with my head, aren't you?" Envymon giggled softly, "Hmm-hmm-hmm... So, it's all in your head that you are crest-less?" "Leave me alone," Yolei demanded softly. Envymon pulled herself back and replied, "...Aww.... I'm sorry, did I offend you? But I can tell you what your crest is, if you're so dying to know."

Yolei's eyes lit up; she looked back to the snake-woman and asked, "You-... you know what my crest is?" "Mm-hmm," nodded the Sin Digimon; "It is the same reason why you have not yet acquired it." "Wait," Yolei suddenly said; "I'm not supposed to listen to you! You're the bad guy!" Envymon argued calmly; "Not all villains are dishonest. It's true, I represent the pure agony of all lost and forbidden desires. But while most of my kin are rotten little liars, my words are pure truth."

Yolei narrowed her eyes; "Why should I believe you?" Envymon replied, "Since when was an envious person never honest to him or herself?" Yolei blinked, "...Are you saying I'm jealous? .....Of the others?" "..._Are _you?" was all the Sin Digimon said in reply.

Yolei leaned back on her supportive rocky wall; "...Well.... I think that if I had my crest, we can finally catch Polarimon." "Ah, yes. Polarimon," Envymon smiled; "The Keeper of The digital Skies. The Creator of all digimon of flight, and such crests as Light, Faith, Hope, and-"

"Faith??" Yolei spouted out.

Envymon nodded, "Yes, Faith. That is your crest, Yolei. You are the Faithful One."

For a minute, Yolei was happy; she finally knew the truth, she finally knew her crest. But then, all at once, her smile sank into a frown. The pit in her belly was returning to her. Envymon took notice and said, "...And now you see why you have not yet achieved it......

"Yes. Of all Digi-Destined, you are the most doubtful. You have been feeling the worst ever since you came here. For every turn you and your friends make, things just get more and more complicated. It's unfair, really; to make a bunch of young adults enter a world outside their own, to make them act like they are some kind of super-heroes. And here, your real life was just becoming fulfilled, wasn't it?"

"Well-" Yolei tried to argue, but then Envymon continued: "You didn't want to come back here, did you?" Yolei replied with, "Well, I had to come back! This is my...." "Your destiny," Envymon nodded. Yolei agreed, "Yes... My destiny."

Envymon shook her head and frowned, "Poor girl. Destiny, it seems, has been cruel to you. You want to do your best, but your best just isn't good enough. You want to help your friends, but they seem fine by themselves. You want so badly to earn your Crest of Faith, but haven't found the faith yet. Have you?" Yolei raised an eyebrow; "Well, if you put it like _that_..."

Envymon crept up beside Yolei, as if offering a friendly shoulder to lean on; she said, "The truth hurts, I know. The only reason why you haven't gained your own crest is because you haven't yet tapped into its source, straight from your heart. Tai has earned his crest by being the bravest; Izzy earned his by being the smartest. Kari earned hers because her spirit glows like a beacon. Even little Cody earned his, for his strong belief in justice. And look at Davis! That pathetic, immature little scamp is becoming more and more of a man by the day. How is it that all of these people can have things go their way, and then life gives you the short end of the stick? Where _is_ your faith, Yolei?... Hmm?"

Yolei could not reply. The more and more she listened to the snake-woman talk, the more and more these slippery words were becoming true. Yolei closed her eyes and frowned, "I..... I do have some doubts...." Envymon nodded, "It's alright... It's not your fault at all, Yolei. You just have to try and accept a few things that you cannot change. No matter how badly you want to, you won't always be there for them. They won't always win the day... And for as long as you have doubts about yourself and your so-called Destiny, you will never earn your crest."

_"Yolei!..... Yooo-leeeeeiii!"_

She heard voices- familiar ones- calling for her. She turned around, to see if Envymon was still there, but she wasn't. It would seem that she had exited the scene as mysteriously as she had entered. Yolei was alone.... again.

"Yolei!... Thank God, you're alright!" Ken's voice cried out; he was standing there, atop of one of the rocks that was blocking her from the rest of the world. He leaned down and extended his arm; "Here! Lemmie get your hand!" he said. Yolei turned around, and saw him. Normally, she would call out in joy at seeing a friend again. But this time, she just looked at him- blankly.

Ken blinked, "...What's wrong?..... Y-Yolei?" Just then, a familiar digimon fluttered to Ken's side: Hawkmon. "Oh, there you are!" the eaglet cheered; "Come on, Yolei; the rest of us are worried about you." She gathered up as much strength as she could, and all that came from her voice was, "Hmmm..." She then reached out and grabbed Ken's hand.

Envymon had quickly made it back to the lair of the Sin Digimon. On her arrival, she was greeted by Pridemon with, "Well done, Envy." The snake-woman giggled, "I do what I must..." She then turned to the dark one with brick-red eyes and smiled, "Okay, Wrathmon. I know you've been aching for this moment. Now you may fight." The dark creature's red eyes flashed- literally.

As the day rolled on, the temperature in the Serengeti was rising, and Jun was in need of shade. Luckily, she had found a peaceful little tree by a lake, and took refuge there. For a while, she had been looking deeply into this lake, and started thinking to herself about a few things:

_"Boy, this Digital World is big... Huge! I haven't met any nice digimon yet, and there's no sign of any of my friends. What, am I on the total opposite side of the planet?.... I'm already lost... Hungry.... And I got mugged by a bunch of tall, black bunnies! Can things get any better from here?"_

It was then when she pulled out from her pocket her violet D-3. She just stared at it, almost hypnotized by it. She sighed to herself sadly, "Man, I almost lost you just when I came in here... You really think I'm worthy?"

Her eyes were taken off from the D-3, to view some bubbles softly emerging from the lake at her feet. Jun blinked twice, growing ever more curious about this. "...Is it that hot out, that the water's bubbling?" she muttered to herself. Before she even realized it, she was now standing over the lake. The bubbles were now clearly coming from one particular spot of the lake, not the whole thing. Something was coming, Jun was sure of it.

She dropped to her knees, and bent downward towards the phenomenon. Her reflection in the water was, for a moment, clear as a mirror, but then ripples from the bubbles made her reflection all a scatter. Her eyes, at that point, could have sworn that a dark figure from beneath the water was coming... right at her face. ...Then-

**SPLASH!!!**

Jun was knocked on her back, and she gave a loud yelp. The creature, whatever it was, had shot itself right from beneath the lake like a cannonball. Then, just as quickly as it had emerged, it dived back in with a somersault. Jun covered her eyes and yelled, "AAAH! EVIL BUNNIES!!" Obviously, she thought her muggers from earlier in the day were back for more roughhousing. She pulled out her D-3 towards whoever was in the lake and gave out a warning: "I'm gonna come over there and digitize you to NOTHING, you black bunny freaks!"

To her amazement, a small soft voice replied: "...Freaks?.... Is that any way to greet your partner?"

"-huh?" Jun blurted out. She opened her eyes and turned her head to whatever it was that just took a dive out of, and back into, the lake. It was small, purple... "Penguin," she muttered. The little Rookie smiled, "Penguin-_mon_."

He then jumped out of the water, gave himself a little shake, and waddled up to the human's side. Once his eyes looked deeply into hers, he felt them well up in tears of joy. His voice shook; "...awww.... gosh.... mmm.. sniffle ...I- I've been waiting... for this moment.... AHH-HAHAHA!" With that, Penguinmon threw his flipper-like wings over Jun's arms, and burst out in tears and laughter. "I've found you! At long last, I finally found you, Jun! Me so _happyyyyy_!"

Jun, beside herself, asked nervously, "How- how did you know my name?" The little penguin cheered, "Jun, it's me! I'm your digimon partner! It's me!" "P-partner?" she stuttered. Penguinmon gave a mighty jump; "Yes! We were meant to fight evil, side by side! You n' me! We're a team now! Isn't that just GREA-WOAH!" The silly little creature was so overjoyed, he tripped on his own webbed feet and fell onto his back.

Both he and Jun started laughing heartily.

Jun then helped him up and sighed, "Wow... I told everybody that if I ever had my own digimon... he'd be really cute... And you are! You're adorable!" Still overjoyed to tears, Penguinmon replied, "And I told everybody, if I ever meet my human partner, she'd be really strong and brave, a-and nobody would wanna mess with her, or- or she'd go ballistic on them, and then she wouldn't even have to need me at that point, 'cause then she'd go 'Bam!' karate chop 'Whack!' judo kick 'Boom!' punch"

Jun giggled humbly, "Eh-heheheheh... Well, I... I'm not really that tough." "Well, that's okay!" Penguinmon exclaimed with flapping wings; "You n' me will fight together! And I know you're new around here n' all, but I can help you out. And when we get that Crest of Humility back from that bad ol' Greedmon, we'll be unsto-"

"Greedmon?..." Jun interrupted. The little Rookie took a breath; "..Uh... Oh, yeah. Greedmon. He took your crest, and without it, I can't digivolve to Ultimate or Mega." Jun frowned, "Uh, that sounds .....bad."

Penguinmon just shook his head, despite having no neck; "Oh, it's okay! We're the good guys, an' good guys always win! Right?" Jun looked away and replied softly, "I hope so..."

There was a pause, and then suddenly the little penguin threw his wings around her again and jubilated, "_Oh, I'm just so happy to finally see yoooou! _Heehehehee! We're gonna have a great time, you n' me!" Jun wondered, "How long were you waiting?" Her partner replied with, "...Oh... I dunno..." "Heh," Jun huffed; "....That makes two of us."

"Look! Up ahead!" Tai navigated with his index finger; "We're almost to the mountain regions now. Just five more miles, at least! Hold on, Polarimon, we're coming!" "Yay," Sora added nearby; there was a weakened tone in her voice; almost sarcastic. The group had been resting up after the previous attack against the Shadowmon, and some of them were still healing.

Ken took up a small cloth which was soaked in water, and placed it gently on Yolei's forehead; "...Are you okay?" he asked her. She winced at the cloth's impact, but replied with, "Yeah... I guess so... Ken?" "What?" he answered.

She asked softly, so that no one else would hear, "...D'you think I have doubts about this mission?" He paused and said, "Hey, I think we all have a few doubts about certain things. I mean, it's true that we haven't even seen Polarimon yet, and we don't know if we will anytime soon." Yolei then admitted to him, "I.... I met Envymon." He gasped, "What?" "Sshh!" she hushed; "Not so loud..." Ken narrowed his eyes; "What did she say?" Yolei frowned, "She.... She, uh...." "Come on," he calmly urged; "you can tell me."

Yolei just held onto her new bandage.

At first, the darkness in the sky looked like clouds just rolling by. But Agumon was the first to see that it wasn't clouds. It was GigaDramon and MegaDramon! "We're ba-ack!" GigaDramon smiled; MegaDramon added, "And this time, no mercy!" Just like that, they opened fire before anybody had a chance to move. The ground surrounding them became bombarded with their missiles until there was no ground left to stand on, leaving the humans and their digimon friends stranded with no place to run.

It was then that the black dragon-like beast, Wrathmon, made its presence known. Joe saw it first; "LOOK! Over there!" They saw it, standing atop a mountain side in a safe distance. It stared back at them, as if looking straight through their outer forms and into their souls.

It then raised out a claw, signaling to the Ultimate cyborg dragons to unleash a final attack. "No, you don't," Tai muttered softly.

------------ Vision: Warp Digivolution ------------

"AGUMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO..... GREYMON...... METAL GREYMON........... WAR GREYMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The evil Ultimates were soon faced with a large, humanoid Mega who was heavily armed- and winged- like a soldier entering war. Wrathmon, nearby, just gave a soft hum, as if delighted in seeing a Mega in person. War Greymon wasted no time, and summoned, "TERRA FORCE!" From his hands drew a solar-like force of pure energy, and he threw it at the cyborg dragons like a beach ball.

The Ultimates spun away just in time, missing the attack completely. "You'll have to do better than that!" GigaDramon replied; he and MegaDramon then summoned, "GENOCIDE ATTACK!" War Greymon had blocked off all of their missile attacks with his shielded arms. He then spread his wings and charged at them.

Yolei had suddenly blurted out, "Shouldn't somebody help him!?" Matt replied, "He's a big boy; he can take care of himself." Tai cheered his partner on; "Come on, War Greymon! Blast those guys!" "I'm trying!" said the Mega, as his karate kicks and punches were missing their swift targets.

GigaDramon and his twin spun through the air, until they were nicely distant from their Mega enemy. Giga then said, "I'm getting tired of this. Let's finish them off once and for all!" "I agree," MegaDramon replied; "Let's do it!" The humans looked at them in astonishment, gasping; "Wha...?" The two cyborg dragons started glowing darkly, and roared in perfect unison: "JOGRESS DIGIVOLUTION!"

**KA-BOOM!!!**

A great blast of smoke and lightning broke out into the sky, as if a whole planet or a sun had blown up. When the smoke cleared, there stood in the sky, in place of the two cyborg dragons, was a humungous, white and red Hercules beetle, with a horn that could put the scythes of GranKwagamon to utter shame.

Izzy gasped in horror, "...I.... I don't believe it... They Jogressed!" "B-but they're shadows!" Tai argued in disbelief. "Ha, ha! We faked you out!" came a freakish, teasing voice from behind. The young adults turned around, and saw two Shadowmon standing before them.

One of them pointed to the giant beetle and said, "We can't digivolve to Mega, so we made a little switch-up. Those were _real_ digimon just now, sent by Wrathmon itself! It was _us_ whom you fought before." Izzy blinked, "You mean... That's... a _real _Mega??" The other Shadowmon smiled and nodded, "You got that right!"

------------ Digimon Card: Hercules Kabuterimon ------------

Level: Mega

Attribute: Data/Vaccine

Type: Insect

"Meet Hercules Kabuterimon! He's actually a more advanced version of your precious Tentomon over here; I'd like to see you top his attacks, which could put a hole through the known universe! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!"

-Shadowmon

-------------------------------------------------------------

Tentomon protested, "Hey! That's MY Mega form!.... I-isn't it?" The Shdowmon twins both huffed, "Heh! Prove it." Tentomon then turned to Izzy and said, "Come on, Izzy. Let's do it!" Izzy gulped, "...uh.... Y-you never warp-digivolved before." The little insect replied with, "It's better late than never, I suppose."

"Hurry up," said one Shadowmon; "Here he comes," added the other.

They were of course, talking about the already-present Hercules Kabuterimon, who tackled the puny War Greymon like a football player. Tai's Mega took the fall very hard; "NO!" he cried out. The beetle Mega then scooped up War Greymon with his horned nose, and tossed him like a coin in the air.

War Greymon was too overcome with surprise to move away from the Mega beetle's next move; a sharp kick in the side. War Greymon howled in agony, just before he hit rock bottom again. At this point, Tentomon persisted; "I can do it, Izzy! I know I can!" Izzy pulled out his D-3 and crest; "...We could try it," he said monotonously.

At this point, the bad Hercules Kabuterimon had War Greymon pinned to the earth with just one foot. The beetle that was almost as large as his own name than turned to his puny Rookie form and growled with a deep, unsoothing voice: "Bring it on."

------------ Vision: Warp-Digivolution ------------

"TENTOMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO..... KABUTERIMON...... MEGAKABUTERIMON.......... HERCULES KABUTERIMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

He just stood there like a statue, while his allies looked up in awe and amazement. Izzy gave his new Mega partner a nod; "Go get 'im."

Izzy's Mega then charged- slowly- at his look-alike. The two of them then locked claws; as they wrestled, Izzy's Mega growled, "You're nothing but a cheap imitation!" "Look who's talking," said the enemy.

They pushed and shoved, licked and punched, scratched and scratched.... But it was a very slow, lumbering fight. Two minutes have gone by already, and already the Shadowmon yawned with boredom.

Izzy, meanwhile, had been checking up on the data of the Hercules Kabuterimon with his D-3; he said aloud, "Hmm... Both Hercules Kabuterimon are huge, and bulky. This makes them very slow, except for when they fly. And they're both equally matched, so nobody's getting the upper hand."

One of the Shadowmon called out to the Megas, "HURRY UP AND FINISH IT ALREADY!" "Shut up!" barked Matt nearby.

Izzy's Mega then said to his twin opponent, "Why are you fighting us? We're the good guys; don't you see that?" The bad Mega replied calmly, "I was sent by he who controls all Darkness."

"...You mean... The Digi-Keeper of Darkness?"

"Ah yes, the very same. Do you know him?"

"No... I've never seen him yet. Have you?"

"....No, not really. But I might as well have, since I was originally two virus dragons."

"So, it's true! The Keeper of Darkness owns virtually all Virus types."

"That is correct.... And from what I hear, he will be making his appearance very soon."

"WHAT?"

Then, the bad Mega beetle gave the good one a fierce shove, and growled, "I'm not going to waste my time here any longer. You obviously are not yet used to being a Mega." "Gimmie a break," replied Izzy's Mega; "it's just my first day!" The bad one then hissed as he bowed his massive head; "No excuses...."

What happened next was foreseen by some, but avoided by no one. The bad Hercules Kabuterimon's nose horn began to summon up a blackish/blue ball of electric energy, which almost copied that of Kabuterimon's "Electro Shocker." This one, of course, was much bigger, and more powerful. It was called: "MEGA ELECTRO-SHOCKER!"

**KABLOOIE!!**

(Forgive the seemingly childish word for this sound effect, but since I have basically covered every other one for this chapter alone, well, I've just ran out of options.)

Almost ten minutes have gone by since the attack. There was very little land left the way it was before; the rest of it was torn and in shambles. And all of the heroes were left amidst of it all. Their spirits have been defeated, for the moment.

Little Tentomon was lying on his belly, worn out from the blast himself. Izzy found him soon enough; "Tentomon!" he called out; "...are you okay? Say something..." The little bug just looked at his partner, and pouted, "...I'm sorry, Izzy... I failed." Izzy just picked him up and gave a small smile, "You did okay... And next time, you'll do even better."

The others were gathering themselves up when they all heard little Tentomon say, "Oh, and I have some rather bad news." "What's that?" Izzy wondered; Tentomon said worriedly, "That Hercules Kabuterimon said, The Digi-Keeper is Darkness himself is coming." Everyone paused, letting the news sink in.

Nearby, Yolei say by Hawkmon and muttered to herself, "Oh, great... Now I feel worse..."

High above the treetops in Gaiamon's land, Davis and ExVeemon were trying to get a fix on Jun's location through his blue D-3. For a while now, he's been using it as some kind of compass; but now, there wasn't even a light flashing on its monitor to signify Jun's presence.

"...No signal?" ExVeemon muttered; Davis muttered back, "No... I had her for a second... Now she's gone......" Then, in an act of sheer desperation, the young man took a deep breath and screamed for all to hear: "JU-U-U-UN!!... WHERE ARE YO-O-O-OU!?"

TO BE CONTINUED


	13. The Call Of Darkness

_"Oceanamon told us that Jun somehow made it into the Digital World; problem was, she was found way off course in Gaiamon's land. I went off to find her, while the others ran into a few of Wrathmon's goons- including a GigaDramon and MegaDramon, who then transformed into a Hercules Kabuterimon! Izzy's Tentomon then turned into a Mega himself, but apparently he needs practice. Yolei is starting to feel the worst- should the rest of us feel the same?"_

_-Davis_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Thirteen: "The Call Of Darkness"**

The day sunk into nightfall sure enough. From where Tai and his friends were, anyway. Only two of these heroes couldn't sleep a wink: Izzy and his new Mega, Hercules Kabuterimon.

The gigantic beetle stretched his massive wings, causing all those underneath them to be shadowed from their only source of light, the full moon. He growled, but as softly as possible so that he wouldn't awaken any of his human or digimon friends nearby. He then put up his dukes, and started- slowly- to throw punches in the air, as if fighting an invisible enemy.

He then buzzed deeply, "Boy, I really do have a lot of practice ahead of me, don't I Izzy?" The young man standing nearby, checking the digimon's stats on his laptop, just replied calmly, "It's not really that you're inexperienced, Hercules Kabuterimon. It's just that you're naturally slow. We'll work out a strategy for you to use if we ever really need you, so that you can use your electric attacks more than your speed."

The Mega winced his head to the human and answered, "I'd rather work out for a while. And you don't have to say my whole name; it's too long." Izzy let out a soft giggle; "...You're right... Shall I just call you Hercules then?" The massive beetle shrugged, "Suits me."

Meanwhile, the other humans had spread out on the grassy plain, rolled up in their individual sleeping bags, with their digimon partners snuggled closely nearby. All was peaceful on their side of the world.

That is, except for Ken.

While Wormmon was curled up in a little ball at the foot of Ken's sleeping bag, Ken himself was in a deep sleep, and his closed eyes started shifting back and forth under his eyelids. His head, every once in a while, would toss and turn slightly. He was having a dream- actually, it was more like a flashback.

------------ Vision: Dream/Flashback ------------

Lustmon had her snaky legs wrapped up around Ken's so that he couldn't escape her. So that he wouldn't lose his balance on the tree branch, he held on tightly to another above him.

The Sin Digimon looked him deeply in the eyes and hissed, "You don't know just how much in danger you are, young one. If I hand over the dark spore to my Master, he may very well leave you and all your friends alone.. Not to mention the fact that you'll never be at risk of becoming the Kaiser again." "He's dead, I tell ya. Dead!" Ken argued. Lustmon narrowed her eyes; "...We shall see..."

Then, something was beginning to happen- something that did not happen, as far as Ken remembers from reality. The skies were getting dark, and thunder rolled. The wind started to pick up, causing a few leaves in the tree to fly away.

Lustmon then helped herself down the tree, smiling, "The time is coming, Ken Ichijouji! My Master will arrive, and when he does, your little dark spore- and life- will be his!" Ken watched with a look of fear in his eyes as she snaked away into the dark bushes below, and heard her cackling; "I'll see you then! Heheheheheheh!!...."

------------ End Vision ------------

Ken's upper body shot up quickly, as he had awakened from the nightmare. He let out a small huff in the process, which was enough to wake up little Wormmon nearby. The caterpillar opened his weary eyes and groaned, "...mmm... What's up?... Ken?" Ken looked to him, with a look on his face that read both surprise and confusion; "Huh?"

Wormmon's eyes opened wider; "Is something the matter?" "I..." the young man began to say, when suddenly his hair was caught by the rising gust of wind. Leaves were blowing by, just as they did in his vision just now. It caught his attention; so did the clouds that were now covering the moonlight. Ken shivered and muttered, "...I just got this bad feeling."

Wormmon looked around curiously and asked, "Uh-oh. What is it?" Ken replied uneasily, "...I dunno... Uh, okay, I'm getting a little freaked out right now. Maybe I just gotta get more sleep."

With that, he rested his head back on the pillow. "Okay," responded Wormmon, and he curled back into a ball. For a moment, Ken closed his eyes, and found peace again.

**"Ken..."**

He heard this soft, base voice that caused him to suddenly sit up again. Wormmon's eyes peeled open again; "...Ken?" Ken looked to him quickly and wondered, "Was that....?" Wormmon was now growing worried for his partner; "What's what?" he asked calmly.

"I.... I thought....."

The young man tried to speak, but not much was coming out. The little green caterpillar then crawled up to Ken's side and said, "If something's wrong, you can tell me." Ken blinked, "Uh-" He was then interrupted by an eerie thunder roll that sent chills up his spine. As if paranoid, Ken glanced around at the unfriendly night sky.

Izzy and Tentomon were just returning to the camp, seemingly satisfied with their previous workout. "I'm sure that with time and plenty of practice, we can have you bench-pressing Gran Kwagamon," Izzy joked to his little insect friend. Temtomon giggled, "Not unless he feels like using me for a basketball first!... Hey, Ken's awake."

Izzy saw his human friend too; "Ken? You okay?" Izzy wondered. Ken nodded, "...Oh, yeah. Just a little insomniac, that's all." Izzy and Tentomon couldn't say the same; they were tired and needed rest. And so, they turned in for the night, and everything fell quiet.

Everything.

In about twenty more minutes, Ken finally went back to sleep in peace.

(Song parody of "A-Do-Run-Run;" no accompaniment)

Veemon (with Davis on backup vocals)

_"Well, he came outta nowhere for the Destiny Stone,_

_Azulongmon-mon, Azulongmon!_

_He told Black WarGreymon, 'Lea'e me alone!'_

_Azulongmon-mon, Azulongmon!_

_Yeah, he saved a Destiny Stone_

_Yeah, he said, 'Lea'e me alone!'_

_Yeah, he's a Digi-God_

_Azulongmon-mon, Azulongmon!"_

They laughed at their own song parody, as Davis and Veemon treaded through a swampy region of the digital world that next day.

Davis then took a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow and complained, "Man, can it get any hotter around here?" "Wanna take a break, Davish?" Veemon asked curiously; Davis replied with a frown on his face, "I dunno. Jun's out here, all by herself. I can't rest without knowing she's safe........ Let's go find a pool."

"YEAH!" cheered Veemon, and they were off!

One hour later, Davis and Veemon had come across a lake, surrounded by willow trees and tall grass that made it seem like they had mistakenly ran straight into the Everglades in Florida. "Alright, a pool!" Veemon exclaimed with excitement. As the little digimon went off to take a running start, Davis thought aloud to himself, "...I dunno, it could be dirty and full of-"

"GERONIMOOOOO!" Veemon howled, and took a mighty cannonball dive into the water. "....piranhas?" Davis finished. He then shrugged, took off his shirt, and made his own cannonball dive into the water.

They splashed and swam, all alone and at peace. They were having so much fun dunking each other in the water, and playing "shark," that they had completely missed catching sight of Jun and Penguinmon in the distance.

"Do you hear something?" Jun wondered, feeling paranoid again. Penguinmon heard cheerful hoots and hollers, but then shrugged and replied, "It's probably just some wild digimon... Whew!" he huffed; "No wonder penguins belong in the Arctic. This place is hot."

Jun wiped off sweat from her brow with a small towel and agreed, "Yeah. So... These Digi-Keepers. They created this whole place?" Her partner then clarified, "They gave it life; many things were done to create this place. Some say that the imaginations of people from all kinds of worlds had some inspiration for some digimon here. That's why there are animals, angels, demons, dragons, gods..."

Jun looked at the pathless road ahead and asked, "So, where do humans fit into all this again?"

Penguinmon said, "You humans are special. You get to feel and act in so many different ways, while most digimon have one-track minds. Basically all angel-type digimon are good, and all demon-types are bad. But people? They can be good _and_ bad! I guess that sorta explains why there are some of you that can be here; it's almost as if you were meant to be here just to fix things the way you see fit."

Jun nodded, "That explains the crests." "Yeah!" jumped Penguinmon; "Exactly! The crests bring out the best in all mankind, and that's what you guys are gonna do when you're ready." Jun nodded, "I think I get it.... But... How'm I gonna get my crest from Greedmon? He sounds like it's gonna take a whole army just to beat him."

Penguinmon paused, but then said, "He won't expect just the two of us comin'. We should plan out a surprise attack. Catch him totally off guard, you know?" "Sounds like a plan," Jun sighed softly; "...I don't know, though.... I'm still new to this whole thing. I don't even know where to start looking for the others." Penguinmon smiled at her, "Don't worry. Even guys like Tai and Matt had to start with baby steps." His optimism was enough to make Jun smile.

For the moment.

They had finally made it to the mountain range. Tai looked up at the tallest mountain- it was so tall, the top was covered by a dark mist. He sighed, "Here we go again... Is everybody ready?" Yolei nearby said, "Ready as we'll ever be. But what if it doesn't work again? Those Shadowmon can come back out at any time and-" "Lighten up, Yolei!" blurted out the air-born Patamon; he smiled, "Back then we weren't a whole team."

Yolei bowed her head and frowned, "We're still not a whole team."

Matt took a step forward, towards Tai, and suggested, "Some of us should go up there and check to see if the coast is clear." "Good idea, Matt," Tai responded; "Kari, TK, Sora and Yolei. You guys go up there." "...Us?" Yolei blinked. Tai looked to her and said, "You're Polarimon's Chosen; you have to be the ones that call upon her."

Hawkmon fluttered to Yolei's side and smiled, "Everything's taken care of, Tai. We'll go get her right now."

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"HAWKMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..................................AQUILAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Aquilamon let those who were Polarimon's Chosen climb on his back, and to the air they took. Joe, Mimi, and their digimon waved them off; "Good luck you guys!" they cheered, almost in unison.

Tai then turned to what was left to the team and ordered, "We'll just stay here and act as their reinforcements." Matt sat down at a boulder in the road and yawned, "That's fine. I'm bushed anyway." Gabumon loyally rested at his side, letting out a peaceful sigh.

While the others retired themselves, Wormmon looked to his own partner with concern. Ken was looking rather pale, and his eyes were halfway open weakly. "...Ken?" Wormmon muttered softly; "Hm?" the boy hummed to him. "You don't look so good," Wormmon frowned; "Why don't you go find a place to sleep? Huh?" Ken paused, but then nodded; "Yeah... Rest... That's what I need... Gotta rest."

With that, he dragged himself over to a tree, and curled up right at its base. Wormmon crawled over and curled up, acting as Ken's pillow.

Nearby, Mimi smiled, "Aww, look how cute." Palmon smiled, "Loyalty, thy name is Wormmon... Hey, Mimi, let's go get something to eat. There are plenty of apple and orange trees nearby." Mimi smiled at the thought; "Yeah! Let's go, I'm famished." Off they went; on the way, Palmon wondered, "What's famish mean?"

On the mountaintop, it was nice and snowy. Gatomon wasted no time in forming a snowball, and throwing it right at Patamon. The two of them were suddenly in a snowball war.

Nearby, Sora and Biyomon were making snow angels; TK and Kari were awed at the scenery, and so Kari took out her camera and started taking pictures. TK gave her silly poses to go with those shots.

But all the while, Yolei and Hawkmon kept to themselves. Yolei watched everyone else playing, and she sighed, "They're just wasting their time." Hawkmon shrugged, "Well, it never hurts to have a little fun. Besides, we're too stressed with all that's been going on. Maybe all we really need is a game to calm our nerves." Yolei huffed, "Hmph. Easy for you to say..."

**Bam! **

She then found herself getting smacked in the back of the head by a snowball; she almost lost her glasses in the process. "OW!" she cried out; then she whipped her head around to see a guilty-looking Patamon. "Patamon!" she growled; 'ere!" With that, she started chasing the little hamster-like digimon with bat wings for ears.

Hawkmon let out a small laugh, but then paused to look up at the cloudy sky. "...Hmmm..." he hummed to himself; "...It sure is dark up here. Can't imagine this being a good place to call Polarimon."

Yolei finally caught up with little Patamon; "Gotcha!" she cheered in victory once she grabbed his ears.

**Bam! **

She just got hit in the back of the head with yet another snowball. Yolei turned around, red in the face with anger, and growled, "Who was that now!?" Sora and Biyomon, who were building a snowman at this point, shrugged; "Wasn't us," Sora admitted. Kari, who was still taking pictures nearby, replied, "It wasn't me either." Yolei looked at TK and Gatomon, who were just chilling nearby; "You two?" she asked. Gatomon shook her head, "Nope."

Yolei's eyes glanced around suspiciously; "...Well then... if it wasn't you, or you, or any of you...?" Then, she heard the strangest sound. It sounded like something getting tapped, and it was coming from behind her. Yolei gasped in fear; it was a Shadowmon, grinning mischievously as it played catch with a snowball in its hand. "SHADOWMO-" TK started to say, but was instantly cut off by having the snowball slam right into his face.

Then they all came out; about a dozen of them at once! Three came down sledding from a mountain slope, another dressed as a Swiss mountain climber came yodeling down from another mountain top. Snowballs flew everywhere!

"BOOM BUBBLE-PUFF!" Patamon unleashed a blast of breath that destroyed an on-coming snowball.

The humans shielded their faces; TK growled to himself, "They just can't go away. Send the reinforcements!"

Biyomon, already in the air, decided the opposite; "No, we can take them! They're just trying to scare us away." Sora nodded, "Biyomon's right. Let's use our digivices!"

In mere minutes, a scuffle broke out. It was Champion against Shadowmon; and the humans even armed themselves with snowballs and the powers of their D-3's and digivices.

Before they all knew it, two icy forts were made, one for the Shadowmon, and another for the heroes. Every once in a while, a Shadowmon or a hero would peer out to see if the coast was clear, and every peek was welcomed by a snowball.

Yolei and Hawkmon frowned to each other; Yolei said, "If we keep this up, we'll never find Polarimon." Hawkmon just replied, "Keep the faith, dear. Once Tai and the others get here, we'll be unstoppable."

But by the time this fight broke out, Tai and the others were already preoccupied with such things as food, mapping out the world, and scouting the region for enemies. But worst of all...

**"...Ken..."**

Even in his dream, he heard it. That soft base voice; it was haunting him to no end now. And the scariest part about it was the very tone of it; it sounded kind and gentle.

**"Ken, answer me... Don't be afraid."**

He was scared, and had a right to be. But that couldn't stop him from opening his eyes. When he did, they looked a little empty, as if he was suddenly entranced by a force unknown. He saw himself rising, sitting upright as if nothing was wrong.

Then he saw himself get to his feet. It was the strangest feeling; he knew what he was doing, but for some reason it didn't feel like he was doing it willingly. He wasn't really. But he couldn't stop himself.

**"Come to me..."**

Wormmon opened his eyes just in time to see Ken walking away, down the road towards the forest region. "...Ken?" Wormmon blinked; he jumped up and ran to Ken's side as quickly as possible. "Ken, where are you going?" asked the little caterpillar. Ken, not looking down on his little friend, replied with, "I dunno."

Wormmon was instantly worried; he asked calmly, "Well, do you mind if I join you?" Ken said, "...I guess not..." "Good," Wormmon answered, and without anymore words to say, they disappeared.

The afternoon was slipping away, and it had been nearly half an hour since TK and his gang went to the mountaintop. Tai looked up, as did Matt and Agumon; Tai frowned, "They've been up there for a while. You think they need help?" "Yeah," Matt nodded; "Let's get the others! Mimi! Joe! Izzy!" Tai looked around for his friends, until he finally gasped, "...Where's Ken? ....KEN?"

Matt rose to his feet and said, "There's no time, Tai. We gotta go help them now, and _then _we'll round up the others." Tai really wasn't in the mood to argue; he knew that Matt was thinking of his brother- and perhaps even Sora. Tai said, "Okay. Agumon, let's get the others." "Right," nodded the little yellow dinosaur.

Back in the swampy regions, Davis and Veemon were fanning themselves with banana leaves in the treetops. It's uncertain where they came from, but they were both clad with sunglasses. "Aaahhhh.." sighed little Veemon; "Thish is the life, isn't it?" Davis looked to the sunny sky and smiled, "Yeah..."

Veemon continued, "I hate worrying. All worrying doesh is make you feel schick. And we don't need that, right Davish?" "I guess so," Davis replied calmly.

He was about to lay back and relax, when he had gotten a nasty pit in his stomach. It's as if something had hit him in the head or stomach.

Davis sat up, alarmed. Veemon raised his shades and asked, "...Davish? What's wrong?" Davis looked around slightly and frowned, "I- I dunno... I just got a bad feeling...." Veemon asked, "Ish it that coconut you had earlier? I agree, they tasted kinda funny." Davis shook his head, "No, no... It's something else... I can't put my finger-" He felt it again, and it made him get to his feet.

Veemon got to his own feet and gasped, "Davish?" Davis looked to him and said, "Veemon... We gotta go. We gotta head back now."

"Why? What about Jun?" asked the Rookie; Davis replied in an unfamiliarly serious tone, "Jun can take care of herself; it's not her I'm suddenly worried about. Hurry, digivolve!" "Okay," Veemon nodded.

_"Na-na-na-na-naa-naa!" _sung the teasing Shadowmon, as they stacked themselves up in a pyramid as if asking to get hurt. "Okay! That does it!" Gatomon hissed; "GATO-PUNCH!"

This went right through the pyramid; one Shadowmon evaporated, and the others fell down.

Sora held up her digivice, and a blast of energy shot from it and stunned a nearby enemy.

Suddenly, Metal Greymon came soaring into the scene with Tai. Matt and Gabumon. The Shadowmon screamed at their entrance, and started to scatter off.

Tai jumped down off of the Ultimate's back and said to Kari, "Kari, are you guys okay?" Kari nodded, "Yeah, Tai. Those guys were pushovers, actually." Tai and Matt looked around, as if skeptical; Matt disagreed, "Those guys are anything but pushovers."

TK said, "But look! They're gone now..." "Okay, that's weird," Yolei said; seeing that all obstacles were gone in a flash just felt eerie at this point. Kari said, "It's as if it was all for nothing... or maybe..." Gatomon's ears perked up; "They were just keeping us occupied!"

Tai frowned, "Okay, it's now or never! We gotta call Polarimon now! Do it!" Yolei hesitated; "We... We can't." "What do you mean you can't?" Matt wondered impatiently. Yolei just looked away sadly; "....I'm sorry."

Tai approached her; "Yolei, what's wrong?" Hawkmon flew to his side suddenly and replied calmly, "She's alright; we just can't call Polarimon right now." Tai demanded answers; "Can somebody tell me what's going on?"

"Tai..." Metal Greymon murmured. Tai looked to his Ultimate partner and responded with, "What?" The cyborg dinosaur tilted his head upward and asked, "Can't you feel it? ...The uneasiness...?" Sora agreed, "Something is wrong. This whole thing was just a cover up, I can feel it now." TK scratched his head; "A cover up for what?"

Then in a flash, Davis and Ex-Veemon arrived, shooting through the air like a bullet! Kari saw them first and gasped in surprise, "Davis??"

Davis was mounted on his Champion's back and said sternly, "We have to go, you guys! Now! Get the others!" Matt said, "Woah, woah! Calm down... How'd you get here so fast, Davis?" Davis wasn't in the mood for explanations; "I can't explain it, okay? All I know is, something really, really wrong is happening, and we gotta stop it."

Tai then reached for his digivice, and called Izzy through it; "Izzy. Round up the others; we'll meet you there." He then heard Izzy reply through the communicator, "Everybody's here except Ken."

Davis's eyes lit up with fear, "...Ken?....Oh no.... That's it. That's it!" He and ExVeemon then darted away, the same bullet-like speed with which they came into the scene. "WHAT!" Tai hollered, but it was too late.

It was too late for everything, except to act.

It was abnormally cold, and the fact that there was no color and no sunlight at all made it an even more chilling scene. It was a scene that was all too familiar to Ken; a dark beach, with an even darker ocean on the horizon.

The first time he was at a beach like this was where he lost his innocence as a youth. All it took was one dip of his digivice into that dark water, and out came his black D-3, and the Digimon Kaiser was born.

Another time he had seen this beach, he wasn't so alone; he, Yolei, Kari and their digimon faced off against a nasty Blossomon. That scene had a very different outcome, because the Ultimate hero, Silphymon, was born.

And the last time Ken saw a beach like this, he conjured up all his inner power, and with the help of his friends, he had sent an evil Mega, Daemon, into the realm of darkness forever.

But now, looking out at this ocean, with the same black sky and the same unfriendly water, Ken felt a chill down his spine. He knew it, just by looking at it. This was the same ocean.

"...Ken?" little Wormmon blurted out nervously, "are we in the digital world anymore?" Oh, how he wish he could say yes, or even lie about it; but Ken replied with the truth; "No... We're back here... Where we started. Where I started." Wormmon gulped; "You mean... Oh, don't tell me. Not the Dark Realm!" Ken nodded, "Yes. The Dark Realm. I thought all the gates were locked from the digi-world, but..."

He wanted to turn away from the water, back to the sandy plain behind him. But it was too late; once someone had their eyes caught on those hypnotizing waves, there was no turning back. And he knew it. "What are we doing here, Ken?" Wormmon asked; his voice was giving away the fear he tried to hide. "I don't know," Ken replied.

There was something wrong in his voice. It was monotonous. Unfeeling. He sounded like he was in a trance... again.

But Wormmon was still very much the boss of himself; he turned his little caterpillar body around and suggested, "W-we should go back now. The others are probably worried about us by now." Ken replied with that monotonous voice, "Yes. They are worried. They should be." Wormmon sweat-dropped; "Ken? Y-you're not sounding right. It's as if it's not you anymore... Ken?"

In a way, Wormmon was right. Ken was called here, by someone; and now that he has answered the call, he was no longer in control. It wasn't something he wanted, but it was not something he was unfamiliar with. And no matter how blankly he looked or how unemotional he sounded, Ken didn't really want to be here. He was scared too.

"Wormmon?..."

"Yes, Ken?"

"....I don't think I can go back."

"What makes you say that?"

"...I can't move."

**"Ken."**

At last, he showed emotion, by gasping in horror. But that was all he could do, for he was right; he was stiff as a statue on that shore. Once he heard that deep voice again, he knew it was all over for him. Whoever it was that was calling him, was here.

Wormmon started tugging at Ken's pant leg; "You can move, Ken! Run! Try to run away, like I'm about to!" The boy replied, "No. I can't. Save yourself, buddy; run away before he gets you too." "Who's HE?" the little digimon wanted to know. His human partner again spoke monotonously, "Forget about it, it's too late. Go now, leave me here."

Wormmon blinked, "...M-me? ...Alone?... No! I can't do that! What kind of digimon partner would I be if I left you behind?... Listen, Ken, I'm scared out of my mind right now, but I'm not gonna leave you. If it's a fight somebody wants, then bring it on! But I'm not leaving!"

And then, all of a sudden, a huge gust of wind howled through the starless night sky. Clouds were rolling in, though one couldn't tell being how dark it already was. The wind was icy cold, and slammed right into their faces and bodies. Then, just when it passed, the floor became wet. Wormmon looked down and gasped; the tide was coming in.

Already, Ken's feet were halfway underwater. Wormmon started to panic; "Ken, try to move! Just try! The water's rising!.... Ken, you know I can't swim!" "I already told you, you gotta save yourself Wormmon," Ken argued.

Another howl of the wind- higher this time- screeched in the air. It sounded like a wolf was dying in the distance, giving it one last try to call for help desperately, but then there would be no answer, hence no hope. And that's exactly how Ken felt right now, hopeless.

**"Ken. I knew you would come."**

Ken took a soft breath, and called out to the dark horizon; "Who are you!? What do you want from me!?" His curious little partner wondered aloud, "...Who are you talking to?" But then, little Wormmon noticed that the water was rising. His tiny feet were completely underwater, and now he wanted more than ever to run.

So he did; he sped as fast as he could to where the water was low enough to just touch the sand. But he wasn't going to be much help here. Wormmon called out, "Ken! Use your digivice; I'll save you!" Ken tried to look back, but could only do so with his eyes; "...You can try."

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Mega ------------

"WORMMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO...... STINGMON......... DINO-BEEMON....... GRAN KWAGAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The massive insect beast could have easily lifted his human friend from the water; he could lift a mountaintop if he wanted to! But when he lowered his tusks to Ken and said, "Hurry, grab a hold of me!" it couldn't be done. "Hurry, Ken!" Gran Kwagamon pleaded, but it was no use. The water was rising quickly, up to Ken's shins.

The giant Mega was about to grab Ken with his claws desperately, when his eyes just happened to look up. He finally saw something in the distance, approaching them from the ocean ahead. "...What is that?" the insect beast muttered worriedly.

It was a tornado; it was so big, it almost looked like a bridge from the sea to the sky. And being in sight must have meant that it was even darker than its surroundings, which to some might seem impossible. But it was clear enough to Gran Kwagamon's six eyes; he roared, "Ken, a tornado! It's coming this way!"

The Mega struggled to lift his human friend, but it was like lifting ten times his own weight. _"How could this be?"_ he wondered to himself.

He tried digging a trench around Ken, thinking that this will somehow lift the gravitational pull around him. But that was a failure. How was it that one of the largest known digimon in all existence could not lift a small child from the ground? It was tearing him apart inside. To make things worse, the tornado was practically on top of them in a matter of two minutes. "Oh, no," he uttered.

**"...Ken..."**

Finally, the digimon heard it. It was an unpleasant base voice- kind of demonic, if that could justify its tone. Gran Kwagamon eyed it angrily; "Who... What are you!?" The tornado hissed with the force of ten winds, **"I am the Master of this realm. The king of all that is evil. The Keeper of Darkness." **

Gran Kwagamon gasped; Ken would to, if he could move on his own. "So..." Gran Kwagamon growled, "the fourth Digi-Keeper finally makes his appearance." The Keeper laughed softly, **"Fourth!? Ha. Last I heard, you haven't even met Polarimon yet. But it doesn't matter right now. I have come to claim that which is rightfully mine." **He was referring to Ken, of course.

The giant insect- though right now he was looking tiny compared to this force of black wind- took one mighty step forward, blocking Ken from the Keeper, and warned it, "You stay away from him! Haven't you done enough already?" The tornado then started twisting and turning, until it grew itself a skull-like head near its top. The skull gave Gran Kwagamon a nasty, sharp-toothed grin, **"I have only just begun."**

With that, the ocean erupted into a wild hurricane-like current, causing waves to throw violent tantrums in the waters ahead. This caused the water to rise all the way up to Ken's waist. Gran Kwagamon himself was just beginning to throw a fit; he raised his massive head to the sky and roared, "I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HIM!"

He then uncased his blood-red wings, and in a flash he took to the air. He was such a quick flyer- much quicker than his size made it seem he would be- that with every zip and sharp turn he made in mid-air, he came off looking like black and red lightning. He knew deep inside that he couldn't possibly stand a chance against a Digi-Keeper. But he had no choice; his best friend in the whole world- two worlds, really- depended on him.

"DIMENSION SCISSORS!"

What this attack consisted of was, a flash of energy from his wings that would shoot out like horizontal beams of white light, and slash right through their target with such force, it could be enough to rip a hole right through reality. And that's what could have happened, to any other target.

But not the Digi-Keeper; his tornado body only made the beams bounce off of him, and they almost backfired right at Gran Kwagamon. He dodged them gracefully, but this only made him angrier. **"Go ahead, try that again," **mocked the Digi-Keeper.

Gran Kwagamon then tried to outsmart the Keeper with speed; he swarmed around him like a bee to a hive trespasser. Then, once he thought he would catch the Keeper off guard, he pulled out his claws, and scraped away. He also charged with his tusks, butted with his head, and bit with his teeth. Now he was only irritating the Keeper.

**"You bore me," **said the evil tornado; as he said this, his tornado body developed a hand, and it grabbed the insect in mid air. "...Gran Kwagamon," Ken whispered in despair. The Digi-Keeper of Darkness then proceeded to crush the bug-like Mega in his grip; Gran Kwagamon tried to fight back, but he was trying to fight a force of nature as unstoppable as thunder and lightning. In fact, he was fighting the wind; even his wings couldn't defy such a power.

While the Keeper was kept busy, Ken felt the strength to fight himself; he called out, "STOP IT! ...Let him go; I'm the one you want!" The Keeper's skull/wind face looked down on the boy, who was now halfway buried beneath the dark water; **"...Too true," **the tornado beast said, and he threw Ken's digimon with great force, to the sands of the shore. Now, he was in his baby form, Leafmon, and he looked battered and bruised. Half dead, even.

This broke Ken's already fragile heart; he felt like taking the blame for having his partner almost killed (for the upteenth time), for not even trying to save him. The Keeper then sighed, **"Now, then. Where were we?... Ah, yes. Your dark spore. That is what I want from you, Kind One. With it, my powers will reach their full potential, and I will finally claim my place in the digital world. Now be a good boy, and stand still... This will only hurt for a minute."**

Ken did stand still, with his body halfway underwater. For a moment, there was nothing- in the next, extreme pain. It was the pain of electricity shooting all through him, all the way down to the bones. This was necessary for the Keeper; the dark spore was way too bonded with Ken, and it was located right in the back of the boy's neck bone.

His spine.

His spine was powered by the electricity that came from his own brain, and so the only way to separate the spore from it was to interfere with another kind of electricity. The Keeper's.

Ken was surrounded by a faint, purplish orb, filled to the rim with this electric power. And the longer it lingered, the more it hurt. But soon enough, the dark spore would be free of its bond with the boy's body, and that would be the moment when the dark Keeper would reach down, and yank it right out like the thorn in the lion's paw.

"KEN!!"

This was a completely different voice now, not the Keeper's. Ken, though weak already from being drained of his natural power, recognized it all at once; "...Davis?" Indeed, it was Davis. He brought the whole crew with him- Tai, Matt, Yolei, Kari, TK, all of them and their digimon.

They came charging through the air, like an army. Davis called out again, "KEN, HANG ON! WE'RE COMING!" Those digimon who were flying- ExVeemon, Metal Greymon, Angemon, Kabuterimon, Birdramon, and Lilymon- dropped off their friends right at the edge of the ocean. That's where they found Leafmon, halfway buried in the sand.

"Leafmon!" Mimi called out, and with Sora she rushed to his side. She scooped up the little green creature and gasped, "What happened? Are you alright?" All he could do was cough and gasp for air, but then he replied weakly, "...help....him....he...."

Sora pointed forward and gasped, "Look!" They all saw it, that black tornado with the skull face in the middle, which looked down on all of them as if they were insects. "Ken!" gasped Yolei, once she saw that Ken was now up to his neck in water and otherwise blocked off by a wave of dark electricity.

Tai looked back up at the tornado and hollered at it, "What do you think you're doing, you monster!?" The tornado laughed, **"Ha-ha-ha-ha-haa! Blind fools; I'm simply putting this child out of his misery, that's what." **Davis balled a fist and growled, "Let him go!" TK added, "Or we'll make you sorry for ever coming here!" The tornado let out a harsh howl; **"_Raaaaaaaaar!! _...Simple-minded creatures. You are in my territory. This is MY Realm!" **

Tai blinked in surprise, "You-- you mean..." **"That's right," **it nodded; **"I am the Digi-Keeper of Darkness. And_ you _are trespassing." **

Davis took a brave step forward and said, "We're not leaving without our friend, now give him back!" **"Make me," **the Keeper responded coldly.

So, it was on.

"GIGA-BLASTER!"

"HAND OF FATE!"

"METEOR WING!"

"X-LASER!"

None of those attacks dented him, or even made him flinch. Izzy called out, "You guys! He's a Digi-Keeper; nothing we can do can stop him, he's too powerful." "But we gotta save Ken!" Davis argued abruptly. The tornado huffed impatiently, **"No one can be saved from me. Haven't you children figured it out by now?..."**

------------ Digimon Card: DAEMON ------------

Level: Keeper

Attribute: None

Type: Demon/Human Nature

**"I am the pinnacle of all hatred and despair. I own the Dark Realm, and everything in it. I have even assumed the form of a demon lord. I.. AM.. DAEMON!"**

-Daemon

---------------------------------------------------------

"....no.......way....." muttered Tai.

Funny, he looked nothing like the demon lord they've faced before. Here, he was a natural element, when before he was a kingly beast with a solid humanoid body. But it was true; it was the same creature that they've banished to this world years ago. Here, he had spent the last several Earthly years building up his energy.

Now, he was a titan.

A very big one.

TK, among the others, was skeptical nevertheless; he turned to his brother and pondered, "This can't be the same Daemon we fought before, can it?... I thought Daemon was a digimon!" Matt shrugged, "I guess all of the Keepers can assume the form of digimon." **"Indeed," **nodded the Keeper.

**"But now I quickly grow impatient of all of this reminiscing. Why dwell on the past, when I have so much important things to do in the here and now? Stand aside, children; I have business to attend to."**

Davis watched as Daemon's hand was reaching towards Ken, ready to grab the dark spore as soon as it made itself known to him.

Davis wasn't going to have that! He charged directly into the water, towards Ken. **"Little fool!" **called out Daemon, and unleashed a force of black lightning at Davis. "Davis!! Get out of there!" hollered ExVeemon. But Davis wasn't about to back down, no matter how strong these electric currents were. All he cared about was Ken, his best friend. Davis would gladly charge through Hell itself for his friends, if he had to.

This dark raging tide with a surge of electric power wasn't going to be any different. To everyone's surprise, even Daemon's, Davis had just enough energy to arrive at Ken's side. Both of them were up to their heads in water, and Ken was so stiff, he couldn't even speak at this point.

Davis tried to shake Ken's shoulders as he called out to him, "Ken! Wake up! We gotta get outta here, buddy!... Ken, snap out of it!" **"It's too late, boy!" **Daemon responded; **"He's mine now." **Davis forced his way against the wild tide, until he was in front of his friend in an attempt to block him from Daemon's power.

Davis then raised his arms to the air, and called out to the dark Keeper, "I'm not giving up! Come on, give me everything you got!" From the shore, his friends were all panicked. Kari screamed, "Davis!? What are you DOING!? Get out of there!" He wasn't listening; he was too busy blocking all of the electricity and water from Ken.

Kari called to him again, "DAVIS!!" But still, he didn't budge. One would think, if he would listen to anybody, it'd be Kari. But no; he had made his choice. He would single-handedly free his best friend from Daemon's hold, even if it meant forfeiting his life. And for a moment, it almost turned out that way.

That's when his Crest started glowing warmly, giving off a reddish sparkle. The sparkle, for a few seconds, kept to itself. But then, it started expanding, more and more, until it became a soft red orb around Davis and Ken. It was enough to block off Daemon's electricity, and in mere seconds, it started blocking off the raging dark waters.

The tide was being pushed against itself, and the water was starting to go down. Further, and further, until Davis and Ken were almost totally out of the water.

**"...What??" **Daemon gasped, **"How... How COULD you!? No mere human can withstand.... That's it!" **Enraged, the black beast pulled out his huge hand, and it reached for the two boys.

**WHAM!!!**

The hand came at them like a launched missile of mass destruction, and the true impact could have come out like a bomb's explosion. But to everyone's utter shock, Davis's Crest formed such a powerful force shield, that it blocked the Darkness, and on top of that, it shone like a newborn sun. It pushed back the Keeper; light was something he was not accustomed to, and seeing this huge blast of light was just too much.

Everyone on shore was speechless. How? How did one small boy accomplish that which a whole army of Mega digimon couldn't possibly? And how could he do it with a Crest that wasn't even whole yet!?

Daemon knew. It was way too obvious at this point.

Once his red eyes adjusted to Davis's light, he gave out an evil hiss; **"The Noble One... I should have known... Your power is strong, but it can't save you forever, boy!"** Davis, not quite understanding what Daemon was talking about, simply replied with, "I'll fight you to the very end! Come on, bring it on!" **"So be it," **Daemon growled, and tried once again to penetrate the heavenly force field.

Back on the shore, the humans and digimon were trying to come to grips with what was happening. Davis, and Davis alone, had the Keeper of Darkness held at bay. But it couldn't last much longer, and they knew it.

TK finally said, "Guys, we can't just stand here. Davis can't do this all alone!" Kari blinked sadly, "What can we do, TK? We're not powerful enough to stop a Digi-Keeper."

"That's it!" Izzy exclaimed; "The only way to stop a Keeper is with another Keeper! We need Polarimon!" Yolei sighed, "Izzy, how're we gonna find her in the Dark Realm? We couldn't even find her in the mountains, remember?" "Where's your faith, Yolei?" Izzy replied calmly; she frowned, "...I really don't know." She then bowed her head, and in by doing so her eyes met those of her own partner, Hawkmon. She asked him softly, "Did I really blow it this time, Hawkmon?" The little eagle Rookie just smiled at her; "My dear, the only thing you don't have faith in is yourself." She looked away in shame and said, "You're right..."

Hawkmon wasn't about to take his eyes off of hers; he knew that now, more than ever, she needed his confidence. So he hopped over to where her sight was, and once their eyes met again, he said calmly: "Yolei, I know how hard it is for you right now. But before you go and think that all is lost, I want you to look around. ...Go ahead, dear; look around."

She did, and as a result, she had seen all of her human friends, and their digimon partners. Hawkmon said, "We're all in this one together. Nobody is alone, not even Davis. I think that all we need to bring out Polarimon, is to believe in each other. The whole team! I know you can do that, Yolei." As proof of his words, Sora and TK and Kari all gave Yolei a chorus of positive smiles and nods.

Sora then said, "I know that by staying angry at Daemon, I can't really summon my power of Love. So, I'm just gonna focus on my love for all of you guys right now." With that, she closed her eyes, and fell into a meditation-like trance.

TK gave a smile and addressed the group himself; "I know it's tough to think that there's any hope for us right now, but if I just try hard enough, I know I can feel the Hope in my heart." He then closed his eyes, and fell into the same meditation as Sora.

Kari then smiled, "I'm the child of Light, and as such I'm supposed to be the one who believes in Righteousness above all things. So, if Sora and TK can tap into their feelings, I'll try the same myself." With that, Kari closed her eyes, and joined in Sora and TK's meditation.

There they were, three children summoned by Polarimon to bear her crests of Love, Hope, and Light. All they needed now was Faith.

"YOU GUYS!" Davis screamed from where he was; "If you're planning something, I suggest you do it now! I can't hold this guy back forever!!" He was right; Daemon's hand was closing in on Davis's seemingly unbreakable force field, and it was now giving off yellow lightning bolts.

It was the moment of truth for Yolei; everything was now in her hands. She walked over to Sora, Kari, and TK; forming with them a small circle in the sand. Yolei closed her eyes, and started to think deeply.

Everyone fell silent around her, and for a moment she found the peace she needed to concentrate. She started thinking of the days when she joined the Digi-Destined in that school computer room. The first time she ever set foot in the digital world, and when she met Hawkmon as he emerged magically from the digi-mental of Love.

Those were the good old days; no matter how bleak things looked, somebody- or the whole group- turned the tide for the forces of good. There wasn't a digimon- fake or not- that they couldn't defeat. Though she hated to do it, there were some that she killed for very good reasons.

And when they faced off against Daemon for the first time in the real world, that looked like the darkest moment of all. But they all pulled it off, by sharing their energies as one. Back then, she had faith. All she had was faith. Faith that good would overcome evil. Faith that would save the day...

She still had the Faith! She knew it! She knew she had it all along; she just couldn't remember. It was there, in her heart. It never left! It was there... even now!

Yolei opened her eyes. She looked down, at her chest. From where her heart was, she saw a soft, white glow. Sora opened her eyes, and saw a soft red glow from where her heart was. TK saw a glow from where his hear was. Kari saw a soft pink glow coming from her heart. They did it! They finally tapped into their souls, and reawakened their virtues. Hope, Light, Love, and Faith.

**ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!**

Four beams of light shot through the sky- white, gold, pink, and red. They were like searchlights, or beacons, tearing through the endless sky of blackness. They were calling _her._

When the lights diminished, there was darkness again. The humans and digimon glued their eyes to the sky, waiting for some kind of sign that their summoning had worked. But this was the Dark Realm; Daemon's territory. How was the element of light even allowed here?

This thought crossed all of their minds, but Polarimon's Chosen held their ground. They couldn't give up; it wasn't in them, especially not now. But a minute had gone by, and nothing happened. Daemon gave a soft smile, sure that he had won this battle.

But then... there came a rumble. A rumble from the sky, almost like thunder. It was very soft and distant. But then, another one came; louder....

_Rumble... _**Rumble.... RUMBLE....! _RUMBLE!!_**

Finally, a shot of light split through the black sky. It came out like a sky painter's cloud dust, but as it got closer and closer, the "dust" of light grew wider, and wider. Until it finally revealed itself as a pure white comet. ...Or _was_ it a comet?... No. Anyone who could look closely enough could see that this was a force of energy, and right in its front was the shape of a woman. A very angry woman.

Daemon looked up one second too late-

**WHAM!!!**

She slammed her comet-like body right into his middle, knocking the "wind" out of him, so to speak. He was pulled away from the heroes, and the comet-girl even pushed him further and further back to the ocean's horizon, him screaming in pain all the way. Until, at long last, he was gone. Disappeared, into the darkness from whence he came.

And to the amazement of all of the heroes, the sky opened up. Out came stars, millions upon millions of stars. And dust fell from this brilliant sky.

The dust trickled all the way down to the earth, to the four children who have successfully called upon their Keeper of the Sky. Once the star dust had touched them, there emerged in soft heavenly light, their crests. Sora's, TK's, and Yolei's came out like necklaces, and Kari's in the form of a bracelet. Yolei proudly looked at her new Crest; it was white over blue, and the white symbol resembled that of praying hands/wings. "I did it..." was all that she could say.

Meanwhile, Davis helped Ken walk away from the dark water; Ken's arm held onto Davis's shoulders for support. "Take it easy, buddy," Davis muttered; "It'll be okay now..." Weakly, Ken knelt down into the sand, grateful to still be alive.

"Ken!" cheered Leafmon, who leapt into his partner's lap at the first chance he had. Ken hugged him softly; "...Are you okay?" he whispered. Leafmon grinned, "Yes. Are you?" "I guess," Ken smiled back, but then he looked to Davis and said, "...you saved my life..." Davis grinned meekly; "Ah, gee. It was nothing..." But then, they all fell silent; the sky was glowing all the brighter now, and for a reason.

_She_ was there.

All eyes were on her- the woman suspended high in the night sky, like a living constellation, in an Ancient Greek Goddess-like gown. She was glowing as faintly and colorfully as the Northern Lights in the real world. A charming beauty so distant, and yet so close, she almost looked like an angel, or at least a dream come to life.

She herself looked down on the new slit in her dress's leg area; "...This is my best dress," she muttered angrily; "...He will pay..." But that's when she looked down on all of the children and digimon. She gave a small grin; "Oh... Forgive me for being so late."

------------ Digimon Card: POLARIMON ------------

Level: Keeper

Attribute: Data

Type: Human Nature

"I am Polarimon, Keeper of The Digital Skies; please, hold your applause. It wasn't until my Chosen had reawakened the power inside them could I arrive."

-Polarimon

--------------------------------------------------------------

Kari was the first to respond: "....We were looking all over for you. And you really couldn't have come at a better time." The Digi-Keeper replied cheerfully, "I try... So, you're Kari, my Child of Light. ...And Sora, The Loving One. TK, The Hopeful One, and Yolei, The Faithful one!"

Yolei blushed meekly, "Err... Faithful, at the last minute." "Which is always the best," Polarimon nodded with a smile.

Tai gulped softly, "...So... Now we've seen all the Keepers. What do we do now?" Polarimon replied, "Well, we really must return to our realm of the digital world. Daemon will shortly regain his strength, so all of you move quickly."

Davis helped Ken to his feet and asked, "Are you sure you're okay, dude?" Ken nodded, "Yeah. I can move now... Geez, that was scary, wasn't it? I started to think I was really gonna die back there." Yolei ran to him and replied, "We wouldn't have let that happen, right guys?" Sora nodded, "Yeah, we're all in this together."

Yolei then glanced at Hawkmon, who have her a warm smile. Sora and Hawkmon were right. No matter how bad things looked, or whenever it looked like all hope for victory rested on one person, nothing could change the fact that they were all a team. And believing in that team was really all that Yolei needed. So they all started leaving, together.

"I'm just glad we finally found her- Polarimon, I mean," Joe said solemnly. Gommamon agreed, "Yeah. And now we got all the good Digi-Keepers. Now all we gotta do next is stand guard for all three of them. Right?" "Yeah," Davis responded; "And we gotta watch for each other. 'Cause we're all we got..."

TO BE CONTINUED


	14. Rage Against The Machinedramon

_"While Davis went off to find his sister Jun, the rest of us decided to head back to Polarimon's territory. There, I've been getting nightmares about the Keeper Of Darkness. He was calling me to his realm, which turned out to be the Dark Ocean world. Worse yet, the Keeper of Darkness turned out to be Daemon! Everybody tried to save me, but it was Polarimon herself that came to the rescue. At last, all of the Keepers are now found!"_

_-Ken_

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Fourteen: "Rage Against The Machinedramon"**

Deep in his dark and dismal laboratory, Daru- Gennai's polar opposite in just about every way- had spent all this morning gathering up negative energy from the digital world. This energy, which appeared to be nothing more than purplish computer streams, was gathered by a small device that Daru has kept secret for some time now: a digivice-like machine. The harnessed energy was placed in a wide yet short bowl, which seemed to be the kind of bowl one would use for certain rituals... or foot baths, either one.

But when the energy settled in this bowl, Daru then pulled out the Crest of Power, which gave off a red glow that made it look like a cat's eye. In mere seconds, the computer data started churning, turning black in the process, until finally two red empty eyes appeared. Those eyes were soon accompanied by a devilish grin of white fangs. Then the creature, fully formed, leapt out of the bowl and stood before Daru tall and proud. He smiled back at it, but was then startled by a female voice behind him: "So, that's how you create Shadowmon."

Daru glared back at Pridemon and replied coldly, "I don't remember inviting you here." Pridemon just grinned; "Pretty clever, I must say. So, you harness digital data from our world and recycle it like this, all thanks to that crest you have?" Daru answered, "Well yes, the data was actually made from digitized monsters that have been destroyed." "I see," nodded Pridemon; "That's why they start out as Champions; they were already born before. But something still puzzles me: How do you keep multiplying them?" Daru turned to her respectfully and explained, "They can do that on their own. After a while, they start absorbing wasted data given off by certain destructions of the digital world, and once one of them absorbs enough, that creature can then split in two, like amoeba."

Pridemon said then, "...So you're saying, when they destroy something like a rock, or tree, or another digimon, they absorb those digitized particles before they can reassemble themselves later." Daru nodded, "You're catching on." She smiled, "It's a gift."

As the newly born Shadowmon skipped off, Daru put away his crest and digivice-like machine and asked her, "Did you come all the way down here just to uncover my secrets?" The Sin Digimon then shook her head; "I came to give you a warning. Polarimon was found." "WHAT!?" barked the human; "Yes," replied Pridemon.

He narrowed his sharp eyes at her; "Your job was to seal off her skies with my Shadowmon! How did you fail?" "Excuse me," she hissed at him while leaning into his face; "but it was not _my_ fault. Your precious Shadowmon, as clever as they are, couldn't think to follow those children into our Master's realm! That's where they found her... But it doesn't matter now, does it? We have those children to worry about now." "I agree," nodded the human; "I'll summon my Shadowmon after-" "No," she interrupted him; "Your Shadowmon have done more than enough recently. I believe it's _our_ turn now."

"You mean-"

"Yes. The Sin Digimon. I'm going to sick Wrathmon on those children."

"But... Wrathmon is unstable. He- she- whatever it is- can't control itself for anything!"

"Exactly... Those little pests will expect us to form a strategic plan on them, with an army they'll be able to see coming. But Wrathmon likes to attack from all sides, with absolutely no plan at all, except to seek and destroy."

She twirled around to the exit and started heading for it; as she did so, Pridemon grinned malevolently: "Once the children are preoccupied with Wrathmon's onslaught, the Digi-Keepers will have no one to guard them. We'll then snatch them up right under everyone's noses, and the human children will learn first hand why _no one _messes with the Sin Digimon!" Her shadowy exit was echoed by the sound of her sinister laughter. Daru, meanwhile, watched her leave with a look of doubt in his face.

"Lightning bugs."

"Fireflies."

"Lightning bugs."

"Fireflies."

"Lightning bugs."

"Fireflies."

"Lightning bugs."

"Fireflies."

"I made them, and I'm calling them lightning bugs!" declared the half-woman, half-tree spirit as the tiny glowing insects danced around her that night. Her sister, the living constellation in the sky, argued back with, "One in every five-hundred people actually calls them that. 'Firefly' is the more popular name." Gaiamon eyed her sister and asked, "If you're so gun-ho about the name, why didn't you make them before I did?"

Then another female voice called out: "Girls, stop it. This is getting us nowhere." It was the water spirit, fleshing herself out into a woman from the water of a nearby river. Gaiamon then glanced over to Oceanamon and replied, "Nowhere is where we're headed."

"That's not even funny."

"I'm not laughing."

"You're acting like your old selves," Oceanamon sighed; "We haven't even manifested ourselves into living beings in eons."

Polarimon above shrugged, "Well, better late than never, right?"

"Look who's talking," giggled Gaiamon; then she gasped, "Oh! Speaking of you, star girl, I heard that _Gennai_ is getting himself ready to reformat himself to look younger again."

"Oo! How's my hair?"

"Stunning, darling."

Polarimon then looked down to her youngest sister and asked, "What's wrong, Oceana? You're usually not this uptight." The river-girl answered, "I'm just worried about the children. Born to do this or not, they don't seem ready for the battle ahead." Gaiamon smiled optimistically; "They're advancing and evolving even as we speak. They will soon realize that the longer they stay here, the more 'digitized' they will become. And then, they'll be no more different than their partners." "And it won't be long then until the ultimate result of their bond with this world takes full effect," added Polarimon.

Oceanamon kept her frown; "...Gaia, I thought that you above all would worry about that day when it comes." Gaiamon nodded, "Oh, believe me, I'm very worried. But we just have to let things be as they are, don't we?" There was a brief pause...

"Hey, Oceana," Polarimon wondered, "what would you name them? Lightning bugs, or fireflies?" Oceanamon took a breath to think, and answered, "....Well... I always thought it'd be nice to call them sparklers." Polarimon and Gaiamon exchanged looks, then Polarimon turned again to her youngest sibling: "That's just sad."

_"Po-**lar**-i-**mon**!" _cried out a distant voice- the voice of Davis. The starry woman in the sky glanced around, and decided to follow the calling. She moved like a breeze, passed her sisters and into an open meadow half a mile away.

Indeed, there was Davis and Veemon, standing alone in the field. She stopped right above them, smiling; "Well! If it isn't Davis and his Veemon." "Hi," waved the human boy; "I, uh, just wanted to talk to you for a minute." Polarimon gave him a nod, "Alright. What about?" The boy grinned sheepishly in an instant; "Eh, heh-heh. Yeah... Um, about Daemon? Uh... It is Daemon, right?"

"For the time being."

"...'Scuse me?"

"Well, he always changes his form. Eventually he will pass this form on, to a digimon of his."

"Oh... Well, about what he said. He called me... 'Noble One.'"

"Yes."

"...What does that mean?"

Polarimon smiled; "Ahh. Davis, you must know that there can be as many as a thousand crests at one time. Each new one is created by one Keeper, but yours was the first created by all three of us. Me and my sisters, I mean." "All three of you?" Davis blinked; "Yes," answered the Keeper of the Sky; "It was during the time of your first adventures here... But that's a long story. The bottom line is, Daemon called you The Noble One, because you _are _The Noble One. Your crest is the Crest of Nobility."

".....no-bility....?" he muttered. He couldn't even believe that word when it came out of his own mouth; he was stunned. Even Veemon looked at him like he was a different person; the digimon said, "Wait, what does that mean?" Polarimon giggled, "It just means that he's destined for greatness. He has heart; lots of it. Oh sure, the others do as well; but Davis here uses his dignity as a pure virtue, just as Tai uses his courage the same way, and so on." Davis heard himself let out a small chuckle; "....Lady, you got me all wrong. I have no dignity! I'm... just a kid. ...A goofy one, at that." Polarimon nodded pleasantly; "Yes, of course. That's one of the things I like about you."

Veemon looked at the crest that hung from a neck-worn necklace like an amulet, and he took notice: "Hey, there's a piece of it that's still missing!" Polarimon replied, "Yes. That's the piece that I am t give you, Davis... when you earn it." "...Earn it?" Davis asked, as if confused. Polarimon explained, "Each of our crests are given to those who have earned them. Davis has already earned his new pieces from my sisters. You've earned Gaiamon's when you've displayed mind over matter. You've earned Oceanamon's when you chose words over violence to solve a problem." Veemon smiled, "Then what does he have to do to earn your piece?" Polarimon sighed, "Well, in my case... The Noble One puts himself last."

Davis paused, and sighed deeply; "...I am gonna earn it, right Miss?" Polarimon just smiled; "I have no doubts of that, my dear boy. It will probably take time, but it will happen. ...Just be patient." "I'll try," was all he could say.

"...The Noble One puts himself last?" repeated Matt that next day. Davis had just finished telling his story, and had left all of his friends speechless... all but Matt.

"But that makes no sense," added the Child of Friendship; "I mean, I always thought nobility meant that somebody was like a king or something. They always come first." Tai nearby guessed, "Maybe it's a riddle, you know what I mean?" "Whatever it means," Davis replied as he lounged back on a tree root, "it's sure got my brain tied in a 

"...Did you guys feel that?" questioned Izzy, who had suddenly been overcome with surprise. Tentomon, who floated by his side, wondered, "Feel what?" Izzy explained, "It felt like some kind of earthquake." Tai shook his head; "I didn't-"

**Rumble...**

"...feel that?" he finished. Matt stopped himself from moving around and blinked, "I felt it too, and it just got bigger." "And louder," said Gabumon as he twitched his ears.

**Rumble.... Rumble!... RUMBLE!**

Everybody felt and heard it now, and were awestruck. Those who had wings took to the air to see what it was that could be casing the quake. They could only see in the distance an approaching puff of smoke. Patamon especially flew high up, and looked left, right, east and west. Until at last, he paused and stared in one direction; "....uh, guys?" "What is it? Whaddya see?" asked a curious TK from below. Little Patamon just let out a gulp: "....We've got company..."

**RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUM--**

The meadow had suddenly fell silent, and the puff of smoke that came along with the earthquakes came to a sudden halt. It surrounded the heroes, leaving them a circumference of just two miles. Then the fog lifted, and from it appeared an army of dark digimon. CyberDramon, DarkRizamon, DarkTyrannomon, SkullMeramon, Devidramon, GigaDramon, MegaDramon, Infermon, and SkullGreymon. Each kind of evil creature had at least ten of its kind. And they were all aiming their malicious eyes and claws at the little heroes. There was a pause; it was as if the baddies were allowing their enemies a moment to quiver in their boots. Then, they attacked in one raging rush.

In the distance, standing atop a large hill far away from what would soon be a desolated war zone, Wrathmon- still in its shadow form- waited.

She felt it in the wind, as it raked her leaf-like hair. Gaiamon was just standing there like the tree she was; her nearly-invisible human form that shaped the tree trunk's side was arm-crossed, and her face was hanging with closed eyes as if she was sleeping. But she wasn't sleeping; she was concentrating. For within the wind, she felt a strange presence that was coming her way.

Oceanamon felt it too, in the currents of the water as her mermaid form just sat there on a secluded rock in the middle of the open sea. She too looked almost as if she were sleeping; but like her older sister, she was in meditation.

Of course, Polarimon felt it too. While she was overlooking the digital world below her, she hid her human form in the sun. And she, like her younger sisters, felt the presence coming her way.

And then, they've arrived.

**SPLASH/WHOOSH!!!**

Greedmon and Envymon emerged from the depths of the dark ocean like sea dragons. In fact, they really did look like sea dragons; Greedmon was in his familiar four-feced dragon-like form, while Envymon looked like a giant green serpent with- count 'em- three Hydra-like heads. Their entrance was greeted with devastating tidal waves, as they surrounded the mermaid instantly. While in her mermaid form, Oceanamon looked tiny and helpless, just gazing at these giant sea-beasts with her deep-blue eyes. Greedmon, in his signature cocky way, snickered; "...I'm sorry. Are we interrupting something?"

Elsewhere, Gaiamon opened her emerald eyes to the sound of something thrashing through the forest- a mad truck, it sounded like. Actually, it was more like two. It was Gluttonymon, now a large, freaky- for lack of better word- beast with a pig-like face, a hyena-like neck, and a disgustingly slimy body complete with a huge face on his swelled stomach, and a fork-and-knife set for arm limbs. He was mostly yellow; his stomach and oozy bottom were tan; his limbs were silver; and he had some green hair running down his neck to complete the hyena look. His eyes were white, while the eyes on his hideous stomach-face were pale yellow.

With that grotesque weight of his, it would be impossible to believe that he could travel at great speeds- but it was possible. He reached Gaiamon in no time, and when he got there, all of the plant life that he barreled through was now a paved wasteland.

Gaiamon turned her human form over to the side of the tree that faced him, and just stared at him. That's when she realized that he wasn't alone; Lustmon- in a violet and black and seemingly nude body of a woman with flowing-as-if-free-of-gravity hair- was standing nonchalantly on Gluttonymon's shoulder. She, being an average-sized figure and therefore nowhere half as big as her ally, gazed right back at Gaiamon with violet eyes. She smirked; "I knew she had a green thumb, but I didn't think it was _that _green!"

Gaiamon narrowed her eyes at them; "You have a lot of gall, coming here unannounced." Gluttonymon then smiled with his pig-like head; "Ooooh, I'm sorry. Here, let me make this announcement then: (with both faces) **WE'RE GOING TO EAT YOU ALIVE**!"

"Oh, I'm so scared," commented a very sarcastic Polarimon.

"You should be," replied Pridemon.

As the woman in the sun stared at them, Pridemon- looking very elegant as a white-masked queen- and Slothmon- looking more or less like a silvery, empty-eyed Sandman complete with a pendulum for a scythe- faced off against her on their own complementary storm cloud.

Pridemon continued; "We have all gathered up our energy, just enough to call you and your sisters out for a fight. And as you can see, we have already fully developed our true forms. You, however, are still resorting to hiding behind your precious planet's elements. Come now, Polarimon, Queen of the Skies, come out of hiding and show yourself now! If you dare." Polarimon just gritted her teeth; "I'm not about to be intimidated by you and your remarks, you evil beast."

"A BEAST, am I?" Greedmon roared, as if offended by what Oceanamon had just called him. "Well," he replied, "if that's how you want to put it, I can act beastly for you." Oceanamon, still looking very small and helpless compared to her enemies, stood her ground on that stone sanctuary of hers. She lashed back with, "Go ahead, do your worst! I dare you."

"Oh, you _dare_ me?" Gluttonymon asked the tree-woman; Lustmon had only laughed in reaction. Gluttonymon's two faces then said, "**I could make this easy on you, and just swallow you whole in one gulp. But if it's a challenge you want**-" "No," his companion had suddenly said. Lustmon jumped down from his shoulder and walked right up to the tree-woman, and with a devious smile, she finished, "Let me." Showing a bit of showmanship, Gluttonymon bowed; "Ladies first." All Gaiamon said was, "Bring it on."

And so, Lustman made the first official move: "BEASTS WITHIN THE BEAUTY!" With that, she raised her nimble arms in the air, and all of a sudden, her dark body was now revealing itself to be an open portal- to where? we don't know. But from her torso, as if on command, three giant, skeletal, and unholy-looking dragon heads launched!

They lunged themselves at Gaiamon, who in reaction created an instant force field around herself. The fearsome creatures plunged right into it, much to Lustmon's surprise. The dragons quickly moved back, further into Lustmon's body (or at least what seemed to be her body), and she paused to come up with another launch of attack. But it was too late; Gaiamon was already on a roll, and fought back with a great swat of her branches.

**WHAM!**

Lustmon went flying. But that just left the field open for Gluttonymon to take over. He raised his silverware-for-limbs, and tried to literally cut through Gaiamon's shield. But he was just as unsuccessful as Lustmon; the tree-woman smirked, "You guys just don't learn, do you?" Gluttonymon let out a growl; "I'm just getting started!"

He then oozed his way further from her, to make a lot of space between the two of them. He'd need space, for what he was about to do. He then turned back to Gaiamon and smiled, "Check this move out!" Then, his grotesque stomach face opened its jaws wide and bellowed, **"FEED MY FACE!" **Yeah, that's what he called his signature move.

But it was a good move; the swollen stomach/face then opened wider than one would imagine it could- proving that this part of Gluttonymon's body was in fact incredibly flexible. It then inhaled.... And if you think that inhale wasn't much, you'd be sadly mistaken. It created a great force of wind and gravitation, much like a black hole. Everything- _everything_- around Gaiamon was being sucked into that monstrous mouth that lay in the middle of Gluttonymon. The ground itself was being pulled in, piece by piece. That included the earth that was just underneath Gaiamon. She let out a small gasp as she felt her tree roots losing their grip on the ground.

Nearby, Lustmon had gotten her second wind and was now hovering in the sky, just above the tree-woman. She laughed maliciously at Gaiamon's situation; "At a boy, Gluttonymon! Swallow 'er whole!" "I'm trying! I'm trying!" he called back with his pig/hyena head. But to his surprise, Gaiamon stood her ground. Her roots were now being revealed due to the lack of earth around them, but firmly she stood. Gluttonymon narrowed an eye; "Odd... I usually get everything by now. ...Why is this taking so long?"

Only Gaiamon knew.

"I refuse to fight the sun," remarked an irritated Pridemon, who with Slothmon was still facing the "hidden" Keeper of the Sky. Polarimon, "hiding" behind the sun itself, remarked right back; "Too bad, 'cause I'm not moving from this spot." Pridemon shook a fist and growled, "Then you're a coward! How could you call yourself such an all-powerful being if you won't even defend yourself?" Polarimon replied, "But I am defending myself, you see? By _not _fighting, I indeed secure myself from you and your sleepy friend there." Crossing her arms, the proud one then huffed, "This is boring me. Go ahead, Slothmon; attack her."

After a few quiet seconds, Slothmon had finally lifted his head and pried open his weary black eyes. "....huh? ...wha?" he muttered weakly. Agitated, Pridemon grabbed his thin throat and hissed, "Unleash your greatest attack, or I'll put you to sleep permanently!" Slothmon then let out a soft yawn, "....Alright, Alright...." He then ever so slowly took his scepter, and held it in the air. And there it stood... for nearly five minutes.

"Come ON!" shouted Pridemon; "What is taking you so long?" Slothmon replied nonchalantly, "I forget what it's called." "WHAT?" roared his queen-like associate; "You forget the name of your own attack!? How _could_ you?" Polarimon, meanwhile, was too busy giggling at them to even think about trying to escape. Slothmon then said, "Waitaminute, waitaminute. ...Yeah. I got it now." "'Bout time," grumbled Pridemon. The Sandman-like one then gripped tighter to his scepter and said, "Sands Of Time."

His scepter then unleashed thousands of tiny dust particles, all of which hurled at Polarimon in a flurry. And to make them go faster, Slothman giggled to Pridemon, "Heh, watch this," and twirled the scepter with great finesse. Instantly, Polarimon in her sun form found herself caught in a sand storm.

There didn't seem to be an inch of nature left in the meadow. No grass, no sand, not even a naturally-formed rock; just raked earth and rubble all around, as if a meteor had hit. The one thing that had proven that a meteor actually did not hit, was the fact that there were living creatures in the area. Humans and their digimon partners.

Most of them were doubled over and on their knees, gasping for air and wiping their sweaty faces. "...How on earth did we survive that?" muttered a weakened Sora; "I haven't the slightest idea," replied Joe who was being used as a head rest for Gommamon. Flat on his back laid Tai, and by his side was Agumon in the exact same position. Tai took a breath; "Is it safe to say that it's all over?" "I dunno," Agumon answered; "but I hope it is.... I can't feel my tail."

_rumble..._

"....Tell me I didn't feel that," said Tai in sudden despair.

_Rumble..._

"You mean that?" asked Mimi nearby; Tai responded, "Yes. That. Tell me nobody felt that." "I just did," admitted Matt; "...and it's getting !

"No! Don't say that!" Tai beckoned. But it was true; there was the eerie feeling of an earthquake in the land, which was only getting bigger, and bigger... Until Veemon stood up and gasped, "That's not an earthquake! That sounds like something else coming!" Davis sat up and wondered, "But what could it be?"

**RUMBLE-**

Before anyone could answer him, it was too late. An army of Machinedramon was upon them. They had come from who knows where, going as fast as they could on their army tank-like wheels, and now they have had the heroes completely surrounded. Their giga-cannons were aiming right at the little heroes, ready to strike at any moment. No one could say a word.

Well, Matt did: "LET'S DO IT!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Mega ------------

"AGUMON!"

"GABUMON!"

"WORMMON!"

"PALMON!"

"TENTOMON!"

"WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO..........

WAR GREYMON!"

METAL GARURUMON!"

GRAN KWAGAMON!"

ROSEMON!"

HERCULES KABUTERRIMON!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

(As before, the children of Polarimon raise their Crests in the air, and like the others, a slight change in imagery occurs. Instead of the crests just dissolving into data streams, they also show the image of Polarimon, shaded in a pale purple, giving a wink. The rest is history.)

"BIRDRAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………. GARUDAMON!"

"GATOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………… ANGEWOMON!"

"ANGEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………….. MAGNA ANGEMON!"

"AQUILAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………. SILPHYMON!"

------------ End Visions ------------

By now, Envymon and Greedmon had already begun their assault on Oceanamon. Actually, Envymon has been doing all of the attacking; Greedmon has just stepped back and watched all of the action. "EYES OF THE BEHOLDER!" announced the Hydra-like Envymon; her eyes- six, count them- then blasted golden lights of pure energy at Oceanamon, who in reaction blocked the attacks with a water-made force field.

Then Envymon's three heads moved back and hissed, "I can do this all day, you know." The small mermaid gave her a nod; "So can I." Greedmon finally spoke: "This is all fun to watch, but we really don't have all day. We need to net this little mermaid right now." Envymon's far left head turned to him and growled, "If you're in such a hurry, then jump on in here!" "I will," he grinned with all four of his faces; "As soon as you break her force field." "What do you think I've been trying to do?" she argued; "put on a light show for her!?"

Oceanamon then looked up at the green, three-headed snake and asked, "...I'm just curious; what exactly is your attack?" Envymon's far right head turned to her, taken by surprise, and replied, "Eh? ...Oh. It's supposed to hypnotize you, and make you do whatever I say. That is, _if_ it can penetrate your shield." The mermaid then smiled; "Heh. You've got six eyes, and none of them can get through to me. What does that tell you?"

At last, Greedmon sighed, "Alright, enough of this. I didn't come here to look stupid; I came to capture you! Now you be a good litter fish-girl, and hold still! This could hurt if you don't." Oceanamon didn't flinch, and let the four-faced dragon show his stuff. And indeed, he did: "DEATH BY NUMBERS!" And like magic, one Greedmon became seven. They then dove into the water around Oceanamon, and as they did, they started absorbing the water itself. It was dissolving right before Oceanamon's eyes.

Envymon, all the while, moved back so that she can wait for the water to be clear enough for her to attack again.

Oceanamon's little rock became a bigger one, as the water level just kept lowering and lowering all around her. When he was done, Greedmon became one monster again; but to Oceanamon's surprise, the water he had absorbed was still gone; that part that remained the ocean was now a great whirlpool surrounding them.

"Well, little mermaid," growled Greedmon, "where's your precious water shield now?" At first, she was beside herself, but almost as soon as he finished his sentence, Oceanamon took both Greedmon and Envymon by surprise: she started giggling. Then she burst out laughing! "STOP THAT!" howled Envymon; "Why are you laughing, you puny fool?" Oceanamon then shook her head with a grin; "Oh no, see, that's the joke. I'm not the fool; you are."

"How so?" blinked the multi-faced Greedmon. Oceanamon explained, "Well, while you were so busy taking my water power, I was focusing all of my other energy on the sky." "The sky??" echoed the Sin Digimon. "That's right," the mermaid nodded; she pointed upward and added, "Don't you know me by now? I not only control the ocean, but also the weather!" They looked up, and sure enough they noticed how black the sky looked now with thunderclouds. Oceanamon then cracked her knuckles and said, "Now you're gonna regret ever taking my water! LIGHTNING, I SUMMON YOU; STRIKE DOWN MY ENEMIES!"

**CRACKLE/BOOM!!!**

Needless to say, Envymon and Greedmon were fried; worse yet for them, the lightning blast had caused them to be blasted away, far from Oceanamon herself. When the clouds cleared, she then tapped back into the water, and the level rose to its original height.

By now, it seemed as though Gluttonymon had swallowed every bit of earth around Gaiamon to the point where they would soon be seeing the planet's core. And to his and Lustmon's shock, Gaiamon's roots were still very much deeply rooted. "It's impossible!" Lustmon cried out in disbelief; "I know she's a powerful being, but THIS powerful!?" "I know," agreed Gluttonymon; "I've been at this for nearly an hour, and it looks like her roots are just getting longer and longer."

The tree woman, all the while, just stood there looking a bit tired. Or bored, perhaps.

Frustrated, Lustmon then jumped to the air and declared, "I'll cut 'em down! BEASTS WITHIN THE BEAUTY!" Again, her torso opened up like a black portal, and out from it emerged more hideous monsters. This time, there were five dragon heads, each armed with scissor-like beaks. They threw themselves at Gaiamon's roots, trying as quickly as possible to slice them in half with their beaks and fangs.

It was easy to focus her energy on one adversary, but now there were two to worry about. And while she may have been the Keeper of the Digital Land, her power was not fully generated. So it came a bit of a surprise to her attackers when Lustmon's beasts had actually cut through her roots in a matter of seconds. Lustmon was elated; "TIM-BE-E-E-E-E-R-R-R!" she cheered.

**CRASH!**

Gaiamon came crashing down into the nearly bottom-less pit that Gluttonymon had dug all around her. Lustmon cheered all the more, while Gluttonymon paused to catch his breath. Then, his stomach let out a loud belch. The sound made what was left of the earth around them quake. Moments later, the Sin Digimon looked down to see if Gaiamon has truly been defeated...

**WHAM!!**

They let their guards down one second too long. Gaiamon had already re-rooted herself into the ground, and instantly whacked Gluttonymon clear across the area with her higher branches. Lustmon paused in shock as she witnessed Gaiamon's magic; she was now re-creating all of the earth that Gluttonymon had swallowed up.

In seconds, the tree-woman was back on solid ground, taller and stronger than ever. She took a deep breath and smiled at the last Sin Digimon standing; "...Thanks. I needed a workout." And then, she whacked Lustmon with her branches so that she could join her obese friend in the farthest distance.

An hour had gone by, and Slothmon's attack was still clouding Polarimon in her sun form. But to the surprise of the Sin Digimon there, the Keeper of the Sky wasn't even blinking. Pridemon was getting all the more anxious; "....She should be sleeping right now. What's wrong, Slothmon?" "I dunno," he replied nonchalantly. Polarimon then replied with, "Ha! You guys have gone through all this trouble, and for what? " "Don't get cocky, Sky Keeper!" lashed out Pridemon; "Slothmon has the power to poison every bit of the air around you." Polarimon then narrowed her eyes and replied, "Too bad Slothmon doesn't have the power of the air itself... like I DO!!"

All at once, it became clear to Pridemon: the reason why Polarimon wasn't being affected by the sand was because the air itself was holding it back, by an incredibly thin shield that revolved all around Polarimon. Before the Sin Digimon could turn tail and run, Polarimon threw out her arms and yelled, "You dished it out, now you're gonna take it!" In a great force of wind, all of Slothmon's sand flew right back at him and Pridemon.

The queen-like one was already fleeing the scene as she called out, "Slothmon! Retreat! Retreat no-..... Slothmon?..... Slothmon!?" It was too late for him; he went out like a light in a split second. Somehow she managed to find him through that thick cloud of dust, grabbed him by the scruff of his robe collar, and started to fly away. As she did so, Pridemon called back to Polarimon; "This isn't over, Polarimon! Just you wait!!" As she watched them flee, the sun-woman just smirked calmly; "Hmm... Patience truly is a virtue."

**"GIGA-CANNONS!"**

All at once, they fired at will. And there was ten of them. Ten Machinedramon, and only five heroic Megas; it was too much for the heroes to bear. Those who stood by watched helplessly as the Machinedramon quickly dominated the battlefield. All of the other heroic digimon were in their Ultimate forms, and even they felt helpless.

Each Ultimate hero had aided a Mega ally to attack a Machinedramon with combo attacks. But every time they did this trick, other Machinedramon would negate the attacks with their own giga-cannon blasts. Somehow, they knew just when to strike, just to protect each other. And all the humans could do was just take cover and avoid all of the falling debris that followed each and every blast that drilled through the earth. It all just looked hopeless for them.

Once they found safe havens near each other, Yolei turned to young Cody and frowned; "This is crazy! Ten of them and twelve of us, and we're the one who're out-numbered!" "I know," nodded Cody; "If only our digimon could become Megas, we might have a chance." "Well, why can't they!?" asked Yolei, in her typical panicky voice. It made Cody jump; "Yah! D-don't ask me; I dunno!"

One Machinedramon had a brilliant idea; "This'll take care of them," he whispered to himself. He then made a gesture with his head, like a nod, that the other members of his kind took notice of. It was a signal, all right. They all then lowered their bodies as close to the earth as they could get. As he witnessed this, War Greymon wondered, "What're they doing?" Metal Garurumon nearby shrugged, "Do you think they're re-grouping?"

No, they were not.

They lowered their giga-cannons and aimed them straight at the earth, upon which all of the humans and Ultimates were. War Greymon saw it first; "They're gonna attack the others!" Quickly, the Mega heroes rushed to the ground where they could shield their friends; alas, it was too late.

**"GIGA-CANNONS!"**

**FOOM!!!**

Their energy blasts ripped right through the earth, causing a major eruption. And since the Mega heroes were headed straight for the blast, they were hit as well. The humans were already shielding themselves with huge piles of debris, so when they were hit by the attack, they just flew into the air due to the impact. Most of them were caught by their digimon partners, but a few unfortunate ones- Joe, Izzy, Yolei, Sora and Mimi- went skidding and tumbling into even bigger earth pits, and were all knocked unconscious in the process. As for the Ultimates, they were whisked back to their rookie levels.

At least five minutes had gone by since the Machinedramon last attacked their enemies. They were all lined up in a circle, waiting to see if any of the heroes would dare stand up and ask for more pain.

Lying very uncomfortably on his back on top a giant rock, Davis forced his eyes open. His face and clothes were all dirty, which was the same for his friends. But Davis, at the time, was the only one conscious; he winced, "...it.... can't... end like this....... veemon..... Veemon?" His little blue digimon was nearby, and conscious as well; he was pulling himself out of a ditch, coughing and wincing with pain. "Ehh.... ugh...... D-davish?" he muttered weakly; "Davish...?" "I'm up here," signaled his human buddy; Davis only had enough strength to move his head towards where Veemon was. Davis then said, "Hurry... Find the others. We need to.... beat these guys." "Yeah," nodded poor Veemon.

Then he started calling for them: "War Greymon? ....Metal Garurumon? ! Rosemo-cough!on!....." Then a sudden claw grabbed his foot from behind; "DYAH!" jumped Veemon. He then whisked around to see Armadillomon behind him; "I'm sorry," apologized the dusty armadillo. "Heh," sighed Veemon with relief; "it's you... Where's everybody else?" "I dunno," frowned Armadillomon; "I just woke up."

"It's time to end this," growled a nearby Machinedramon. The other Machinedramon were preparing to fire- this time, they would succeed where many other have failed; to kill their enemies once and for all. Davis saw it too, and gasped with newfound strength; "NO!" He then forced himself to sit up, and he called out; "You gu-u-ys! Wherever you are, you've got to wake up! on, they're gonna fire! _Wake up!_"

Finally a few of the humans have responded by slightly opening their eyes and struggling to move their limbs. Even the badly-wounded Matt, Sora, Izzy and Joe forced themselves to wake up.

And then, the Megas woke up.

"Mmm... What's going on?" growled War Greymon; Some feet away, Metal Garurumon was struggling to his feet, and so was Rosemon nearby. The Machinedramon were watching their every move, and they didn't like it. One of them shouted, "Come, let's do this now! Take them out, one by one!"

Where they were in their own secluded places, the Digi-Keepers somehow realized what was happening to their chosen heroes, and gasped in horror. Now that they were rid of their own little problems, it came clear to them that they were now seriously needed.

"...Do you feel that, sisters?" started Polarimon; Gaiamon answered, "Yes. It's time for us to reveal the ultimate power of the digimon." Oceanamon then asked, "Do you think we're strong enough to do this? I mean, we've just gotten rid of the Sin Digimon." Polarimon answered, "We're needed now more than ever. We have to give it a try, before it's too late." "I agree," Gaiamon nodded. "Alright then," Oceanamon replied; "let's do it. Unleash the energy!"

Then all three of them- sun, tree, and mermaid- fell into a deep trance and began to meditate. As they did so, their powers grew all the stronger, and became like halos of light all around them.

Meanwhile, the Machinedramon were taking this opportunity to channel their own energies, to give the heroes one final "goodbye" blast. As that happened, a small and timid Armadillomon hunched over beside a nervous Veemon, and was praying: "I wish I were a Mega. I wish I were a Mega. I wish I were a Mega..."

Nearby, other Rookies were coming to, and realizing just how much in danger they were. One Machinedramon was beginning to lower his cannons right at little Armadillomon and Veemon, because they were closest to his range.

Panicking, Armadillomon chanted all the louder and faster: "GAH! IwishIwereaMega!IwishIwereaMega!IwishIwereaMega!IwishIwereaMe-"

**"GIGA-CANNONS!"**

**KA-BOOM!!!**

Then what happened next, one would say that his or her life flashed before their very eyes. But it was more like a great blast of light. And to everyone's surprise, the light didn't hurt at all. In fact, it was gone after about ten seconds.

Veemon had hidden his face behind his claws, (sort of) ready to greet the inevitable blasts from the giga-cannons. But then, he opened his eyes and blinked. ....He was alive? He looked at himself just to make sure; "...I AM alive! How?.... Armadillomon, look! We're al-AAAAHHHHH!"

Standing next to him was no longer Armadillomon; but a giant beast that was all wooly and savage-looking, complete with a spiked helmet, long tusks, body armor, and two menacing spiked maces on his back. And where two eyes should've been was one big blue one. Veemon was scared stiff, and sweat-dropping like crazy at the sight of this huge monster. But the beast just looked down on him calmly, and smiled. Veemon gulped nervously; "Wh-wh-wh-o... are you?" The big guy simple replied, "I'm Vikemon."

And that's when Veemon realized it: he was Armadillomon's Mega form! All around, humans were waking up, and seeing the strangest creatures.

There was a huge, multi-winged angel whose face was hidden behind a helmet; a large pink/purplish dragon with a feline-like face.

A half-human, half-bird creature with a golden eagle on its right arm.

A prehistoric sea-beast with the same colorings as Gommamon.

And a great, multi-winged golden bird that gave off magnificent light.

All of the humans were jaw-dropped; even those digimon who were already in their Mega forms were shocked and beside themselves. Finally, the seraphim broke the silence: "We did it... We finally did it! We've reached our Mega forms!" Down on Earth, TK blinked a few times in disbelief; ".....P-Patamon? ...Is that you?" The angel then replied, "I am Seraphimon." Then the others made themselves known:

"I'm Magnadramon."

"I'm Valkyrimon."

"Plesiomon!"

"Phoenixmon!"

"Our digimon!" rejoiced Sora, who was near to tears; "they- they all warp-digivolved! I can't believe it!" "Neither can I," added a nearby Kari. Where he was, Tai brushed the dust from his hair, and smiled with the look of hope back in his face; "Alright. I dunno how they did it, but they did it! NOW let's show those Machinedramon!" All the Machinedramon could say was, "Uh-oh."

War Greymon led the attack: "Let's do this! TERRA-FORCE!"

Metal Garurumon: "ICE WOLF BITE!"

Rosemon: "THORN WHIP!"

Gran Kwagamon: "DIMENSION SCISSORS!"

Hercules Kabuterrimon: "MEGA ELECTRO-SHOCKER!"

Phoenixmon: "CRIMSON FLAME!"

Vikemon: "ARCTIC BLIZZARD!"

Plesiomon: "SAD WATER BLAST!"

Valkyrimon: "LIGHTNING ARROW!"

Magnadramon: "DRAGON FIRE!"

Seraphimon: "STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!"

**FOOM!!!**

And just like that, the enemies were gone.

Each Digi-Keeper at this point was pretty much tuckered out. Gaiamon in her human half sat down and leant against her tree half, and sighed. She then heard the voice of her sister Polarimon; "We did it. We've actually completed their data streams, all in one shot." "Yes," nodded Gaiamon; "now I could use a good rest."

"Don't fall asleep so soon, sisters," warned the voice of Oceanamon; "It won't be long now before we'll be needed again, when the Didi-Destined will realize their full potential." "...yes," Gaiamon muttered; "....It will be a day to remember for all of us.... for better and for worse."

The sound of laughter filled the castle in which the main villains took refuge, but this time the laughter came from Daru. He was in the main hall, along with a few of the Sin Digimon- one of them being Pridemon. He was laughing at her specifically; "....Nobody messes with the Sin Digimon! Weren't those your exact words, Pridemon?" She just crossed her arms and turned away from him smugly.

Nearby was Envymon, who replied with, "Well, at least we now know how to capture the Keepers next time. Right?..." Pridemon's smile then came back to her dark face; "Yes, my sister is right. If we cannot succeed in destruction, we can at least gain knowledge. And knowledge is power. Right, Daru?" Daru just sneered; "I'm the only one with the true power around here, ladies! And in our next round with the heroes, it'll be MY turn!"

He started snickering again, but Pridemon didn't seem to care. As far as she was concerned, Daru was only promoting the one thing that she has always represented: pride.

TO BE CONTINUED


	15. Do The Evolution

_"When last we left, an army of robotic digimon swarmed us. They were being controlled by Wrathmon, so it wasn't an easy battle. This all turned out to be a distraction so that the rest of the bad guys could capture the Keepers, but they turned out to be more powerful than Pridemon thought. Oh, did I forget to mention that ALL of our digimon reached their Mega levels? Man, it just can't get batter than this! …Or, can it?"_

-Cody

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Fifteen: "Do The Evolution"**

While the battlefield was still fresh with ash, debris and leveled ground, the young heroes were celebrating their newest victory over evil. Those that were once massive heavyweight Megas were now pint-sized babies, innocent as newborns.

The youngest- Cody, Kari, and TK- were celebrating the loudest by congratulating their digimon as best they could, with shouts of joy and hugs.

The older teens, however, stared into the mist left behind by the chaos and destruction that had befallen the land. What was once green was now brown and black with ash.

No one was more disturbed by this than Tai and Matt, the main leaders.

"Look at this place…" Matt muttered first; "We were sent here to protect this world, not help destroy it." "Yeah," Tai agreed; "But it's not like we meant to do this. I mean, it could've been a lot worse. You know? …If we weren't here, the bad guys would've destroyed everything."

Then they looked beyond the battlefield, and saw lush green trees and towering mountains in the farthest distance. That's when it hit Matt like a rock; what Tai had just said was true. After the enemies leveled this land, they would have moved on to those forests, those mountains, and beyond. "Then it's settled then." Said Matt; "We have to keep moving on, and stop them before they do wreck this place completely."

Overhearing their little conversation, Davis and the others looked on in curiosity. Davis asked, "So we're all gonna split up?" "I don't see any other option, do you?" answered Matt. Tsunomon then stepped forward loyally and smiled, "I'll go with you to the mountain region, Matt." Koromon then hopped over to Tai's side and smiled, "We can't let them go alone. Let's go with them!"

Tai nodded to his little partner, "Okay. We'll go in groups of two. It'll go like this: me and Matt, Cody and Mimi, Davis and Ken, Sora and Yolei, TK and Kari, and Izzy with Joe All agreed?"

"That's all well and good," Davis already protested, "but what about my sister? How are we going to find her, anyway? She's all alone out there!" "Don't worry, Davis," replied Ken; "I'm sure our crests will lead us to her." Davis was usually the most laid back of the group, but it was obvious that he was becoming more and more concerned about his lost sister; "…Fine," he muttered; "We'll use the crests to find her." Ken then smiled, "And who knows? Maybe she already met up with her digimon by now, so she's not completely alone."

All of this positive energy coming from Ken was beginning to feel eerie to Davis; he pouted, "It still doesn't make me feel better. Let's just go right now! Come on, DemiVeemon!" Bouncing up and down excitedly beeped his baby digimon partner, "I'm right behind ya!" The four of them had already started off, toward the deserts of the southwest.

There was only one thing left for one particular digi-destined to do, and that was for him to say one last word to Mimi; "Uh, Mimi?" asked Joe; "You sure you'll be alright with Cody?" Mimi just brushed her hair, which was already starting to frizz from humidity. "Oh sure," she smiled; "We'll check out all of the cities by the ocean. Right, Cody?" Cody laughed, "I'll bet you just said that just to find yourself some hairspray… But yeah, searching the cities sounds like a good idea."

Joe then warned them, "Just be careful, you two. I don't wanna think anything bad's gonna happen-" "Oh, don't be such a worry wart, Joe!" Mimi huffed; "We're big kids now." Joe replied with a puss, "…Well, alright…" So Mimi and Cody, along with their digital partners, went off in the east.

Next went Sora and Yolei's team; they've decided to head northeast closer to Polarimon's territory.

Soon afterwards, Izzy informed Joe that they too should head into Oceanamon's territory, but not so closely to Mimi and Cody's team; they then took off for the southeast.

And finally, TK and Kari, who were most comfortable with each other's company more so than anyone else, headed out west to cover more ground in Gaiamon's jungle land.

All the while, they have been watched under the careful eyes of two characters: Gennai, their true friend and confidant; and Daru, their adversary.

"Are we there yet?"

Someone just had to say it, and this time, it was Agumon. "No," growled an already-irritated Tai; "Just a little further…" Gabumon then asked aloud, "Where exactly are we going?" Matt replied, "We're going back to the mountains where we first saw the Sin Digimon. If they tried to capture the Keepers, they'll try it again. And the only way to get to Polarimon is to reach the highest level." Then, for a few minutes, there was silence…

"I'm hungry," moaned Agumon. Tai sighed, "I'm hungry too, Agumon, but we can't stop to eat. We've got a long journey ahead of us." The little yellow dinosaur protested, "Can't we stop for just a little snack? …And maybe we can talk about all the things you've been up to while you were away."

Tai smiled, "Well, if it's any wonder, not much. I mean, Matt and I are in college right now, and I'm working on becoming a professional soccer player."

Gabumon frowned, "You're all growing up so fast… When you do grow up, are you still going to visit us?" Suddenly, Matt came to a stop. He turned around to face his digimon partner, who looked up at him with his big puppy-dog eyes. Matt smiled calmly, "Of course I'll see you again when this is all over! You know you're more than just my partner, Gabumon; you're my best friend." The little digimon blushed, "Aww… That's so sweet, Matt. And here I was beginning to believe that you were too old to go soft."

Matt usually was the manly type, but to Gabumon's comment, he just laughed. All of a sudden, he and Tai felt like kids again, like this was their first trip to the digital world.

Tai smiled, "It has been a while since we've been here. And it does seem like the only times we are here, something bad happens and we've gotta fix it." Matt nodded, "Yep; that's us, the great Fixer-Uppers." Tai added, "And we never get a chance to have fun around here. I mean, look at this place! Blue sky, warm air; it's like paradise!" "Yeah," Agumon smiled.

Then he changed his pace, "…Wait. Didn't Gaiamon say that this world was meant to be a paradise?"

Matt made a face; "She did, but I got the feeling like she left a lot of details out. It felt vague to me." "Yeah," Tai agreed; "Real vague…" "Maybe she forgot all the details," Gabumon theorized; "I think being a Keeper for too long made her forget her human life a little." "Whatever the reason," Matt answered, "I just can't help but winder what the new crests can do. It just feels like they're used for more than just helping our pals digivolve…"

"Yeah," Tai nodded, "but let's stop talking and start walking! We've got a Digi-Keeper to protect." They resumed their walk as Agumon smiled, "Yeah! …And maybe on our way, we can grab a bite to eat!"

Elsewhere, similar ideas were popping up in the heads of Cody and Armadillomon, as they led Mimi and Palmon on the road to the cities of Oceanamon. As Cody focused on the bracelet, which held his new crest, he pondered aloud, "I wonder how these new crests work. And I wonder why mine is on a bracelet, while yours is on a necklace."

He was, of course, addressing Mimi, but she was too busy trying to brush her hair to notice his question. Then it hit her; "Hm? I'm sorry, Cody; were you talking to me?" He just hummed as she took to her medallion and smiled, "Isn't it beautiful! I wonder what this new crest does. It's much, much bigger than the last one, so it's gotta do something, right?"

Slightly irritated with his friend's ignorance, Cody changed the subject; "So, what do you think Joe's problem is?" "Huh?" blinked Mimi; "I didn't know he had a problem." Cody explained, "He seems awfully worried about you. Is he always like that?" Mimi frowned as she turned away, "Hmm… Funny, I never noticed."

Then Palmon jumped into the conversation and replied, "Well, I've noticed! He's been like that for a long time; I think he's worried about her because he cares so much." Cody smirked at this thought; "I'll never understand boy/girl feelings." Armadillomon then jumped into the conversation by simply saying, "Well, maybe when you're older…"

"Oooh… They're making this too easy!" Daru grinned, while overlooking each individual group of heroes through a crystal ball. Actually, it wasn't the classic fortuneteller's ball; more like a monitor that shared the same purpose as a computer screen. With it he could check on the progress and location of every human and digimon he wanted to, and he had been watching the digi-destined intently.

But he wasn't alone; two Sin Digimon were watching them alongside the human. Pridemon and Greedmon.

"Yes," agreed the dark dragon with multiple hands and faces; "too easy…" Pridemon, whose face remained in the dark, said, "All I'm concerned about are those two young ones, TK and Kari. They and their digimon are key to unleashing the strongest power the forces of good have to offer. You do know about their past, don't you?"

He thought it over, then Greedmon nodded, "Yes… Why were they the only two members of the original group allowed to have their 'pets' armor digivolve in the past? And why did the little girl receive power from Polarimon in her youth?" Pridemon added, "And how did her crest end up in the other world in the first place?"

"Pridemon! Greedmon…" interrupted the calm voice of the human Daru; "Don't you see? There are other powers at work here. One in particular was my rival, Gennai. HE was the one who sent the eighth crest to the real world in the first place."

"WHAT?" Greedmon and Pridemon shouted in unison.

"Yes!"

"How do you know that!?" growled the dragon; Daru grinned, "I make it my business to know everything that the old fool is up to.

"He's made many things possible for these children. He was the one who designed those crests, and those digi-mentals as they're so called. He took advantage of the fact that those two children, TK and Kari, were the youngest of the original group. He took advantage of their innocence and indomitable spirits.

"Which leads me to the first part of my plan. All we need to do is draw out Gennai, then I'll keep him busy while you and my Shadowmon take care of those little brats!"

"…It still doesn't explain why those two are so favored!" Pridemon hissed, as if out of jealousy. Daru calmed her by saying, "It doesn't matter right now! …Or maybe it does." "Hm?" hummed the shadowed Sin Digimon. Daru then instructed her, "If you're so concerned about their inner strength, then why don't you handle them yourself, personally?"

She liked the sound of this plot; "You mean, tempt them into tapping into their dark sides?" "Envymon tried it once already with that Yolei girl," Daru reminded her; "She nearly succeeded too!" "You have a point," whispered the plotting Pridemon; "Perhaps I can take advantage of them without them even knowing it. I'll make them think that they're SO powerful, that nothing can stop them… Yes… I'm liking this idea very much." With that comment, her eerie smile started to show through the darkness.

"I'm glad we're finally on the same side," Daru commented. He then moved away from the monitor and into another room, with Pridemon and Greedmon following behind, to check on his great machine, which stood against a wall like a monstrous spider web: the Shadowmon formatter. Daru explained, "I already have a plan on how to keep those brats occupied, and it won't even matter if they win this next battle." "What do you mean?" asked Greedmon, with his eyes all fixed on the great machine ahead.

Daru explained, "I plan to force these children into tapping into their greatest power; the power that has not yet been tapped. …Oh yes, I am very well aware of those battle crests that the children are wearing-"

"Battle crests?" again, Greedmon and Pridemon spoke in unison.

Daru continued, "Yes, battle crests. I know what they are, and I know what they do… In fact, I intend to make the children use them! As soon as possible!"

"But why?" asked Greedmon, who seemed concerned with the results of this plan.

Daru replied as he stared proudly at this great machine, "You ask that question as though you're worried about the results, Greemon. Trust me, you'll like the results. It will look like the heroes will get stronger. And they will, physically… but deep down, they're still adolescent children; inexperienced and naive. They'll have no idea how to control that power.

"And while we take care of them… I must find Gennai, before he interferes again."

"Well, here we are," Matt sighed in relief; at least it felt like relief, as he and his team reached the mountain ranges at last.

Tai and Agumon stared bleakly at the towering mountains, almost fearful of climbing them again. They were actually separated from the mountains by a barren field, which was faintly painted in snow thanks to the near-freezing temperature.

"I'm almost excited to see 'em again," Tai said, referring to the mountains ahead; "Do we really have to go all the way up there without flying?" "Well, I guess we could fly," Matt replied; "It'd sure take a load off our legs." "Speak for yourself!" huffed a tired Agumon; "My legs are so shaky, I doubt I could digivolve." Gabumon also looked tired from all of the walking; "Maybe we could just sit here and wait for our legs to stop shaking," he suggested softly.

Matt seemed the least bit tired; "Come on, you guys; I know it was a long walk, but we can't just quit now…" He then glanced up at the sky and said, "Look, it's about to rain. Do we really wanna be caught in it?" "Yes!" cheered the two digimon, who both looked forward to be cooled off by rain. Tai then looked up at the sky and began to say, "I could use a nice drink of…."

Then he stopped talking altogether; his mouth, however, remained open. Curious of his friend's sudden fall of silence, Matt turned to Tai and hummed, "Hmm?"

"…matt…"

"…What?"

"…That's not a rain cloud…"

Matt took a closer look at it, and then his mouth began to drop; "…oh, no…"

It was happening again; the sky was being plagued by Shadowmon.

They came by the millions this time, over the mountains and then spilling out onto the open field. There was no end to them, no end in sight. Both the land and the sky started turning black, and it was all flying towards the young heroes. They felt like they were being denied a chance to even breathe; the sight of this ambush was as breathtaking as it was unexpected.

It was happening almost everywhere- all of the places that were inhabited by the digi-destined were now swarming with Shadowmon. Like wildfire, they had spread, blackening the ground. They were like a sea of fangs, claws and eyes; all cackling in an infinite chorus of harsh howls and insane laughter.

Terror struck the hearts of all who had seen and heard them coming. Even the children and their digimon partners shook with fear for a moment.

"I was afraid of this," uttered Gennai as he was watching the action take place from within his own secluded tower. He was not alone; Kellen and Culumon were present with him, and both looked more worried than even he was.

The youngsters watched as Gennai had fallen into a meditated state; his eyes had been closed and his mind cleared, and his body frozen with concentration. He was like this for some time now, and those very few words that just came out of his mouth were the first words he'd spoken in hours.

"G-Gennai," stuttered Kellen, "what do we do?" Then behind him, a dark voice answered, "There's nothing you can do."

Kellen and Culumon gasped and whirled around, and there hovering above them was Daru. "Gennai!" he roared; "I've found your little hiding place at last; let's finish this now!" The old man was still for a moment, but then he opened his eyes and replied, "As you wish."

All at once, the chiseled writings of a language unknown to any from another dimension, which were carved on all of the walls of that dark hall, started to shine. This was just the place where Gennai wanted to be, the place where he could tap into his own powers. Then all at once, the glow from the writings on the wall shot out beams of light, and struck Gennai almost like lightning.

"What's happening to him!?" gasped the alarmed Culumon; Kellen took to this sight calmly and answered, "…He's reformatting his own data."

It was true; this hallway was designed to store Gennai's own data that had kept him alive all these years. Within a matter of seconds, he who was once an old man was now in his prime, a young man.

At this, Daru grinned; "So, you've decided to strengthen your power to challenge me, eh?" The young man turned to his adversary and hissed, "It is you who is challenging me." Daru, whose body had stayed young all this time, was all too excited to see that he would finally get his duel. He bared his teeth and summoned a digital staff; "Let's begin then," he hissed.

"Not here!" demanded the youthful Gennai; he was concerned for the safety of his young pupil and his digimon friend. But for their safety, Daru could care less; "Don't worry about them," he warned, "worry about yourself!" And with that, he charged.

The two of them crashed through a wall, and into an abyss of nothingness. Kellen, with his digimon friend, ran to the hole that was made by the force of Gennai and Daru's clash; "GENNAI!" was all he could shout, and his voice echoed into the nothingness.

Wherever they were, digimon evolved from Rookies to Champions, and from Champions to Ultimates. They waged a great battle with the on-coming Shadowmon, who had shown no signs of surrender at all.

And with each and every attack given to them by their enemies, they just kept coming. And coming, and coming!

Time was running out fast for the heroes; their digimon partners were strong, but their strengths had limits. Eventually, Metal Greymon and WereGarurumon were starting to wear down and show bruises on their bodies. They were exhausted.

"Come on! Change to Mega!" commanded Tai, but his partner was weakened enough to say, "…I… can't." With that, Metal Greymon shifted back into his rookie form, and collapsed. Mimicking him soon afterwards was WereGarurumon.

"Tai!" Matt gasped; "…We're surrounded! They just keep coming!" "I know," Tai replied as his glistened eyes focused on the sea of on-coming Shadowmon.

All this time, the children were powerless to help their friends; never before have they needed the aid of their human partners so badly; it was beginning to sink in now; not just to Tai and Matt, but to all of the digi-destined. At this moment, being human just wasn't enough anymore.

Tai spoke on behalf of every human in the digital world when he said, "…I wish we could do something…"

That's when his crest started to glow.

Somewhere, in another place, where all other life forms are forbidden to step in, Polarimon opened her eyes, reacting to the glow of the crests.

"This was the day I feared," Gaiamon frowned; Oceanamon replied to her, "We should have expected this. It's a cheap shot, but should have been expected."

Polarimon crossed her arms; "We have no choice but to unleash the powers of the battle crests, sisters. Gaiamon… are you ready?" Gaiamon replied reluctantly, "Yes…" "Then let us begin," commanded the oldest sister, Polarimon.

The three of them joined hands in a circle, and each was soon coated in a colorful aura. They began to chant in perfect unison, and as they did so their dark plain started to illuminate with prismatic colors. They spoke these words:

_"Out of the thirteen, we have chosen ten;_

_Among children we call forth women and men._

_As our powers align, so theirs do as well,_

_We call forth Heaven to take on Hell._

_So now we call these virtues by name:_

(Gaiamon)_ Courage!_

(Oceanamon)_ Friendship!_

(Polarimon)_ Love!_

(Gaiamon)_ Kindness!_

(Oceanamon)_ Knowledge!_

(Polarimon)_ Faith!_

(Gaiamon)_ Sincerity!_

(Oceanamon)_ Reliability!_

(Polarimon)_ Hope!"_

Then, as their chant continued, a great orb of pure energy emerged from the center of their circle. They went on…

_"The crests are open; their powers revealed;_

_Let them now storm the battlefield!_

_BATTLE DIGI-EVOLUTION! BEGIN!"_

**SHOOM!!!**

In a blaze of glory, the orb, which was centered by the Keepers, now burst into a stream of colorful light, like a rainbow just starting its course across the sky.

This rainbow light did indeed cross the sky; the entire sky. Everyone from all places and from all walks of life stopped everything they were doing in that one shining moment. All eyes were on the sky; it didn't matter whom they were- good or evil, they all stared at the rainbow.

But as Matt and Tai watched this phenomenon, Matt's eyes started to gravitate towards his own chest. There, he noticed that the medallion around his neck was copying the same swirl of colors that were jetting through the sky.

"…Tai?…" he muttered fearfully.

Tai wasn't paying attention, so again and all the louder Matt called out, "Tai! …Something's happening!!"

"What!?" Tai gasped, and as he turned towards his friend he started to notice the glow of his own medallion. It too was illuminating in a swirl of color, like the stream of color in the sky.

Everyone, from all places, that had a battle crest was beginning to notice the same thing, and feel the same power.

And then… it happened.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

"Tai Kamiya …Battle Gear digivolve, based on …"

(His crest of Courage lights up and opens a vortex of orange data. Tai jumps into this vortex, and passes through an image of War Greymon. The image then digitizes, surrounds Tai, and starts to take shape of his special armor. Piece by piece, he earns his armor until it is complete. Then, like any evolved digimon would, he makes a landing and strikes a pose.)

"WAR GREYMON!"

"Matt Ishida …Battle Gear digivolve, based on…"

(Same action, only with blue light and Were Garurumon passing through Matt in the vortex)

"WERE GARURUMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Even the Shadowmon were stunned at this. Before them stood the same two teens, but this time they were completely transformed. Well, not completely; they were still human, but their outfits were completely reformatted.

Tai's battle gear did in fact resemble WarGreymon; he had golden armor from shoulder blades, kneepads, to boots; with a silver mid-section, and the rest of his body was clothed in black. There was a shield attached to his left arm while his right one was armed with a lance.

His helmet copied WarGreymon's own head almost to a tee, horns and all. But underneath that helmet with the fold-up face glared the bright human eyes of Tai.

Matt had his own change of outfits; like WereGarurumon, his clothes of midnight blue were tattered and torn; underneath his open blue shirt was plated black armor. His hands and feet were covered in armor as well; armor that appeared to be the robotic version of WereGarurumon's own hands and feet.

As for his face, he was scarred with a blue mark running down his right side, while his right eye was patched with a cyborg-like red eye. And the look in his eyes- though they were still human- looked absolutely feral.

Elsewhere, Mimi went through her own change of clothes as well; her new battle gear echoed the look of Rosemon. Her hair, wreathed on roses, grew a great length, all the way down to her feet; her outfit was a one-piece with patches of plated green armor (designed like leaves) running down her mid-section, all the way down to her legs (which twined like vines).

She was even equipped with her very own whip, spiked in rose thorns. And her green high-heel boots made her grow a whole foot, making her taller and much mature-looking than ever.

"I don't… believe it!" was all Sora could say, after changing from ordinary girl to Birdramon look-alike. Her arms were plated with metal, orange wings; her helmet resembled Birdramon's own head, with an extended beak section that could be used as a spear.

The talons on her boots looked like they could tear through anything. Most of her torso and pants were black, but her mid-section was plated with orange feathers.

And to top it off, she had a torn cape attached to her shoulders which, when picked up by the wind, flowed like Birdramon's tail.

And Yolei next to her was quite the sight as well; her bodysuit was mostly brown with a tan, feathery underbelly, and in fact it was dressed in the style of a Native American princess. But where Sora had a cape, Yolei had Aquillamon wings.

Her helmet, which was more like a headband, didn't have a beak, but it did have a crown of Aquilamon feathers that fell back like an Native American chief's signature crown. And while Sora only had talons on her boots, Yolei had talon gloves as well as boots.

"Gracious!" flapped Hawkmon; "you two look like digimon!" "Not just any digimon," added Biyomon, "Us!"

"But how?" Yolei wondered aloud; Sora wondered, "You think the Digi-Keepers did this?" "Who else could be responsible?" was Hawkmon's reply.

In another place, Izzy was digging his new armor, which in the back almost completely echoed that of MegaKabuterrimon's massive shell. He too could take flight if he wanted to, but other than that, he looked rather slow. But he could make up for that with his double-headed spear, which had on its ends electric horns like that on the Ultimate digimon's head.

His mid-section was armed in red, and his gloves and boots echoed the claws of the digimon. Like Tai, his face was masked as well.

Next to him stood Joe, who was very startled by his new outfit. Where his glasses once were stood a single blue lens. It seemed like he lacked armor, but the thick tan fur that started from his helmet (which echoed the face of Zudomon- tusks and all) snaked down his back like a cape, looking thick enough to be invincible. In one hand he held his own silver hammer, in the other, a long shield.

As for the rest of his suit, it was gray and plated silver to match the coloring of his digimon counterpart; and his gloves and boots echoed the digimon's own claws and feet. The only extra attachment he had were the spiky suspender-like plates that ran over his shoulders and down his torso.

And for this new suit of armor, he could only say this: "Mommy."

Where Kari stood, TK stood as well, but he resembled the Champion form of his own digimon partner, Angemon. He had the wings, helmet, boots, gloves, and sash. In fact, if it weren't for his face and small body, one could easily mistake him for the digimon- except that his body wasn't white, it was only plated white on his torso, legs and arms.

At this sight, Patamon was overjoyed; he cheered, "Wow! Now I really am beside myself!" TK laughed, "Uh-heh-heh… Yeah, sort of."

Only one other digi-destined stood in battle gear, and that was Ken. It was strange enough that his armor echoed that of the Mega form of his partner, GranKwagamon… What made it even more eerie, was the fact that out outfit looked all too familiar…

Davis blinked thrice before he blurted out, "…Ken… You're… You're… The Kaiser!!" "…What?" muttered Ken, turning to his friend with a stunned look on his face. "Look at you, man!" shouted his friend; "You're like… evil again!" Ken gasped, and took a good hard look at himself.

No, he didn't look evil, but that suit of his, which he was donning at that moment, looked very much like the same one he donned as the Digimon Kaiser of not so long ago. He didn't have the same spiky hair though; it was his normal straight hair. And he didn't have the same glasses anymore either, but he did have a new pair of red ones.

To mirror GranKwagamon's coloring, he was now jet-black where Kaiser was blue; now silver, where he was streaked yellow. His mid-section was plated silver, which was a new element to the familiar-looking suit.

His cape was colored to match the wings of GranKwagamon. And his right arm was now plated with a long scythe, to match one of GranKwagamon's long and merciless pincers.

He, Davis and their digimon partners were all speechless.

"It is done," Polarimon said in the secluded area of her and her sisters; "The Digi-Destined have now become one with their crests at last. Now their power echoes that of their digimon partners, whether they are Champions, Ultimates, or Megas."

Gaiamon still felt uneasy by all this, but she replied with, "We have had this planned for a long time, sisters; let's hope it works."

From where they stood, Tai Matt and their digimon all looked impressed with the new upgrades. The only ones that trembled at this sight were the Shadowmon, much to Matt's delight. "…Tai?" he spoke.

"Yeah?"

"I dunno know about you… But I think I'm starting to like this."

"…Yeah!"

And so, the battle continued; Tai jumped into the fray with Matt soaring behind. While their digimon partners looked on, bruised and weakened by the fight, the humans were now picking up right where they left off.

Before long, the population of the Shadowmon was already halved. In fact, some of them began to run; it was at this moment when Tai and Matt tried out their new attacks:

"ICI-CLAW!"

This was Matt's new gift; a powerful swipe from his metal-clawed gloves that can slice and dice any enemy from any distance, in a blue-lit rush.

"TERROR BALL!"

This was Tai's attack, which looked like a much smaller version of WarGreymon's "Terra Force." He launched it at his enemies like a softball, and it tore right through every Shadowmon that dared to escape destruction.

Elsewhere, other attacks were being tested for the first time…

"RAZOR PETALS!"

This was Mimi's attack; from her gloved hands sprayed metal rose petals that slashed through enemies with the force of a hurricane.

"KAISER WHIP!"

Ken's new suit came with its own bullwhip, the kind he used to drive digimon slaves with; now it was used on the swarming Shadowmon.

"HAWK EYES!"

This was Yolei's new attack, which unleashed a laser beam straight from the violet lens that covered her real eyes.

"SWAN DIVE!"

Sora shouted this as she swooped down from the sky on Shadowmon, and with her spear-like beak, she pummeled them.

"THUNDER SPEAR!"

Izzy twirled his new weapon, which conducted electricity through friction, and with it he gave off a deadly shockwave on Shadowmon.

"…Uhh… F-Frozen Waste?"

"Come on, Joe! Give it more feeling than that!" cheered Gommamon.

"Okay…FROZEN WASTE!"

With his hands stretched out, Joe was able to trap his on-coming enemies in a tomb of black ice.

And last but certainly not least…

"ANGEL'S CALLING!"

With this attack, TK was able to produce a halo around his body, which gave him ultra-sonic speed- speed that literally cut through all of his attackers.

Nine digi-destined with newfound power; nine, which started out as mere, defenseless children, now stood tall and proud atop mountains of deceased Shadowmon, which would eventually fizz away into dust.

There was great rejoicing everywhere for yet another victory for the heroes.

But still within the tower which kept its address a mystery, Kellen and Culumon stayed huddled, scared and confused. The young boy could hear the calming words of Gaiamon; "Fear not, Kellen; Gennai will return when he was finished dueling Daru. Until he comes back, you are in charge of this tower."

But the boy was in doubt; he frowned, "But… I'm still just an apprentice. I know nothing of taking care of the digital world all by myself." Again, he heard her voice; "You are not alone, child; my sisters and I are everywhere. We will help you secure this world, for as long as you need us."

The boy wanted to be calmed by her words and pleasant tone of voice, but still he and Culumon remained huddled. Kellen asked, "Should I just wait here? Or do expect much more of me?" Gaiamon's voice replied, "We will call on you when we need you. Until then, wait for Gennai's return."

And then the hall fell silent. Kellen and Kulumon had their nerves calmed for a moment, to let the reality that they were alone again sink in.

It was a fast-paced day, and night fell faster than anyone could expect. The Keepers were all relieved that their chosen ones were strong and stable enough to handle their new battle gears. So for now, they rested.

Standing on a cliff, at the very edge of a great barren desert, Davis and his team were setting up camp for the night. In the sky, they could see the constellation that was Polarimon.

As she made herself known to them, she began to speak: "As you have witnessed today, children, my sisters and I have planned on giving you your own ways of digivolving from the beginning of this quest. Ten of you have received battle crests, which will be called upon whenever you need them now.

"Granted, you were not official digimon, but the concept of humans and digimon uniting as one is not entirely new. Never forget, there are other plains of existence. Other digital worlds, like this one, have their own heroes, and they all have been given a chance just as you have today. The chance to take forms of their own, as digimon."

Davis looked up at her and asked, "Is that what that was? You're saying we had the power to become like digimon, and you tell us this NOW?" Polarimon just smiled, "We weren't sure you were ready for this challenge… And challenged you will be once again. I fear mostly for you, Ken."

"Me?" Ken looked up at the stars, which made up the Keeper of the Sky.

"Yes… Gaiamon fears for your safety, for thanks to the dark core that lies in your body, your battle gear may not be fully stable. Fortunately, you were spared from any pain today… But we anticipate discomfort in the future. So please… be careful."

"I see," Ken muttered as he bowed his head. "That's why I looked like the Kaiser; I was meant to be a warrior from the beginning, but the dark core made it a dark power."

Davis added, "I remember when we first came to this world, our outfits changed from the ones we wore in the real world. I thought that was all a part of wishful thinking." Polarimon explained, "It was, and it wasn't.

"Children, this digital world was meant for you. All of you; every dimension where children live has access to this world, in one form or another. We have intended this place to be a world where children could decide what to wear, how to behave and decide for themselves what makes them happy.

"We never intended there to be violence in this world; that is why our powers need to expand, so that you could use your own hearts to fight evil. We hope to expend on this in the near future… But for now, you children should rest. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be even tougher on you."

Every digi-destined heard this, and understood it well. For some, a lot of questions had been answered, but for others, the mystery lingered on. But as Polarimon had advised, nearly all of them took this time to get ready to rest for the night.

But in their territory, in the far off regions of the forest, TK and Kari kept their guard up. Gatomon and Patamon rested very early, near the campfire that their human friends set up.

But the young humans couldn't sleep a wink; it was as if they felt something bump in the night, though it was quite peaceful.

Kari sat up on a tree root that arched its way high above the ground, while TK paced back and forth near her.

She could see that he was deep in thought, so she decided to break the silence by saying, "Isn't it neat how you much you looked like Angemon?" Taken slightly by surprise, TK looked up at her, then smiled, "Yeah… I thought for a minute there everything was gonna go bad, and then that happened. It was like a miracle."

Kari then smiled sweetly, "It wasn't a miracle; it was fate."

TK gave her a nod, "Yeah," then decided to calm his nerves by jumping onto the tree root to sit beside her. The two of them looked up at the stars, and all at once, they were at peace. TK then said, "You know, Kari… I really am glad I was able to get that battle gear, and save your life." "Hey!" she elbowed him in a seemingly friendly manner; he reacted with a chuckle as she replied, "I wasn't completely helpless, you know; Angewomon was there to protect me…"

"Yeah, I know…"

All of a sudden, it started to get darker around the two of them.

"…And even if she was there, I could have handled things all by myself."

"Sure, you would."

"No, I'm serious; I'm the eighth digi-destined. Polarimon's power came over me, even when I was very little. She came to me in her spirit form to help everyone else. I'm sure I could handle anything by myself."

There was a slight pause, until TK added, "Yeah, well, I'm pretty gifted too. I mean, I've got the crest of hope, and that's gotta count for something… Plus, my digimon can turn into an angel in his Champion mode, and yours can only do that in her Ultimate mode."

Kari then calmly argued, "Well, you have to admit, Mangadramon is much cooler looking than Seraphimon." TK's eyes then lit up; "Hey! Wait a minute…" Then a calm overpowered him, and he sighed, "…What are we arguing about? You and me are both equally powerful." All at once, Kari felt the same calmness and agreed, "Yeah." TK added, "We were both here from the beginning, and we're going to be here until the end."

"Right."

"And none of the others would even be here without us."

"True."

"Yep… We're the tops."

"I couldn't agree more."

The more they spoke, the darker it got around them, and the darker it became, the more their eyes dilated. It was as if they had been engulfed in a great dark fog; every other corner of their camp was illuminated by the moon and stars. And strangely enough, neither TK nor Kari noticed this eerie atmosphere. They were too busy praising themselves to notice anything at that time.

Somewhere in the darkest region of the forest, Pridemon was smiling.

TO BE CONTINUED 


	16. Kindness vs Kaiser

_"After defeating Wrathmon's army of evil robot monsters, the whole group decided to split up. That's when Daru, Gennai's evil counterpart, decided to single us out with an all-out attack with Shadowmon. This forced the Digi-Keepers to unlock the secret power of the battle crests, which gave nine of us- not including me- special suits of armor based on our digimon partners. As for Daru, he's now out fighting Gennai personally. I wonder what poor Kellen's gonna do?"_

-Kari

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Sixteen: "Kindness vs. Kaiser"**

Deep within the forbidden desert of the digital world, where even the sand looked as dark as night, a towering fortress made in midnight-black stone stood. It didn't seem to have windows, nor even a doorway; it was like great spire, in fact; build in the similar way as a pyramid, only much thinner, and tall enough to scrape the cloudy sky.

Close up, the tower did in fact have balconies on each of its endless towers, and pacing back and forth on these balconies was a troop of Phantomon. Armed only with scythes, these creatures kept their vigilance in a quiet, robotic way. But then, their silence was soon broken by a barrage of black fireballs that seemed to come out of nowhere, like cannonballs.

**BOOM!**

One Phantomon didn't see it coming, and was deleted along with a huge chunk of the balcony. The rest of the ghosts became overcome with shock, and rose up their scythes in panic. Frantically they looked around for answers, but then one of them finally saw it piercing through the cloudy sky.

It was a bird- a huge bird with feathers as dark as the air around it. This made the creature almost invisible, and therefore it had an advantage. Like a lightning-fast vulture, it whirled around the tower's highest peak, awaiting any retaliation from the ghosts. It was then and there when one Phantomon finally recognized the attacker:

------------ Digimon Card: Saberdramon ------------

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Bird

"Oh no, it's Saberdramon! As if the original Birdramon was bad enough, this one's her icy counterpart. And in some ways, he's twice as dangerous!"

-Phantomon

------------------------

"BLACK SABER!" screeched the giant bird, unleashing a dark fireball from its beak. Over and over again, its blue fireballs were launched at the frantic ghost digimon. Normally, attacks like that would go right through an intangible spirit; however, these were no ordinary ghosts. They did in fact had data, just like any normal digimon; and like any other digimon, their data could be deleted.

Many of them retaliated the giant bird's attack, but he had one advantage over them; he was in the wide-open air, and they were trapped between walls. It only took Saberdramon a matter of minutes to clear the entire level of Phantomon.

Meanwhile, a young lady was running like crazy toward the dark tower; it was Jun, Davis's estranged sister. She screeched to a halt just a mile away from the tower, and looked up in awe at the great bird in the sky.

Once she caught her breath, it swooped down like a gust of wind, picked her up into his talon, and carried her to the highest tower level. There, he gracefully dropped her off, and perched into a ledge. And there, he di-digivolved back into his Rookie form…

"YES!" cheered the now pudgy, pushover-looking Penguinmon; "I DID IT! I FINALLY DIGI- Woah! WoooaaAAAH!" In the midst of his cheers, he realized that his once massive talons had turned back into slippery padded feet, and he nearly slipped off of the ledge. Luckily for him, Jun caught him just in time; "Woah! Gotcha," she sighed.

Once he was in her arms, the little penguin cooed; "Awww, this is so exciting! I feel like a true hero now…" Jun then asked, "But how did you become a Champion without my crest? Greedmon stole it, remember?" Penguinmon took a breath, "Course I remember; that's why we're here! But to answer your question, any digimon can become a Champion one he gets the right amount of experience."

"…Uh-huh…" Jun raised an eyebrow; "…And what experience have you had?" The little purple penguin answered with a small chuckle, "Let's just say I spend a lotta time fishing. Eh-heh-heh…"

A cold breeze coursed through Jun and her partner at that moment, when she turned to face the nearest doorway to the fortress' interior; she gulped, "So, this is Greedmon's palace?" Her Rookie partner looked ahead and replied matter-of-factly, "I think so… It's rumored that there are seven palaces like this, and each of 'em is home to one of the Sin Digimon. If this isn't Greedmon's place, then maybe we can find a map or something in there that'll tell us where it is."

"This place fits the bill alright… Sure is creepy," shook the newest Digi-Destined. But then her little friend took her hand into his flipper; he smiled, "Don't worry, Jun; you're workin' with a real fighter now. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Hearing these courageous words coming from someone so small and unfit for battle was something Jun felt that she had to warm up to, so she said, "Alright, let's do it. And since you're so brave, you lead the way." Perhaps he was being over-confidant, but Penguinmon took the lead instantly and smiled, "As you wish, m'lady!" and with that, they entered the pitch-black tower.

The dark side of the forest was only less than a hundred miles away from yet another team of heroes. This foursome, led by a young man that looked more like a surfer dude than a hero, followed by a small blue dragon, a dark-toned teen, and a slow green caterpillar. The land was barren with golden sand, but aside from the occasional dust clouds that danced by in the wind, all seemed peaceful.

…Maybe too peaceful.

"I shpy with my little eye… Shomething that sh-tartsh with Shh."

"…Hmm… That's a tough one… Sand?"

"Right! Your turn, Davish."

"Okay… I spy with my little eye something that starts with… S."

"Shand!"

"You got it, Veemon!"

"Okay… I shpy with my little eye, something that sh-tartsh with… Shh."

"Sand?"

"Correct again!"

"Okay, let's try something tougher now… Hmm.. I spy with my little eye-"

That's when Ken stomped his foot; "Something that starts with S! And lemmie guess what it is: it's SAND! And look, over there! MORE sand! Uh-oh! But wait- over there, in the corner. What is that? Oh, it's SAND! THERE IS SAND EVERYWHERE! ALL WE'VE BEEN SPOTTING FOR TWO HOURS IS SAND! Now will you PLEASE… Stop… playing…"

Davis and Veemon paused to see an exhausted Ken showing them at last how irritated he was at listening to their little game for the past two hours. After his little spat, Ken dropped to his knees and started to pant like a dehydrated dog.

And as if he couldn't get any more stressed, Davis just had to reply with, "Actually, I was gonna say D." He knew this was a trap, but Ken just had to ask, "…What does D mean?" With his signature grin, Davis joked, "Desert sand!" Then he and Veemon burst out laughing, while Ken hung his head and released his weak rage in a deep, sigh.

Wormmon, being the humble little creature as he was, crawled over to his partner and looked at him with soothing, sympathetic eyes; "Are you alright, Ken?" "I'm fine," replied his partner- the tone of his voice ratted out his lie; he wasn't fine he was tired. But then he added, "I just wish we could find some water around here." Veemon then jumped up and declared, "I can dig up wata! Armadillomon and I once had a digging contest, and I swear my ditch was bigger than hisch!"

Ken didn't believe him, so he was poised to say, "The Keepers wanted this place to be a world of wishful thinking, right? …Wormmon, join me here." His loyal little friend then curled up beside him, and the two of them closed their eyes in meditation and began to chant, "I wish there was an oasis. I wish there was an oasis wish there was an oasis…"

"Hey, guys? Look over there!" Davis pointed towards the road ahead; he was at a high-enough level of sand to see something in the far distance. His friends looked up and saw it as well; from where they stood, they could clearly see the horizon melt from a cheery blue and gold to a dismal gray and black. "…What is that?" whispered Ken; Davis frowned, "I dunno, but it doesn't look right. Hey, maybe something's doing down over there. We should check it out!"

As quickly as he could- sand and short bug legs didn't mix- Wormmon crawled ahead of them and said, "I know what that is; it's the desert's forbidden territory. They say the forbidden lands are home to the Sin Digimon." Davis asked, "Who told you that?" Wormmon answered, "Anyone that's brave enough to fly overhead those lands say that there are huge dark towers- much like the spires that Ken made while he was the Digimon Kaiser-" This made Ken gasp, but Wormmon went on by adding, "only they're much bigger, like fortresses."

Veemon scratched his blue head and commented, "I've never sheen 'em; how do they know those towersh are sho dangeroush?" Wormmon only bowed his head and frowned, "I don't know the whole story; I try to avoid rumors."

The two boys looked to each other with a light of newfound strength glowing in their eyes at that moment; "We have to check it out," commanded Davis; "If he's right, this could be our one chance to delete a Sin Digimon." But Ken narrowed his eyes, "But there's only four of us, and only Wormmon can become a Mega." The over-confident Davis then pointed out, "But you've got that hot new battle gear, my friend. Just whip out that scythe of yours-"

Ken interrupted him by turning his head away and replied, "Didn't you hear Polarimon last night? My battle gear's too dangerous to use." Davis then argued, "Would you rather wait 'till the others come here? That could take another five hours at least, while we sweat our brains out and spot sand all day."

Then Ken paused to imagine another five hours of the game "I Spy" with this male bimbo and his equally-brained digimon; he sighed, "Alright, let's just check it out for a little bit. But as soon as things get hairy over there, we run." "Agreed," nodded Davis. And that was the end of that argument.

As the quartet of heroes got back on their feet and dragged themselves on, a nearby pile of sand appeared to have spying red eyes, and then disappeared back into the earth.

Ever since Gennai went off on his own to battle Daru, Kellen has been left to take care of their hidden fortress, somewhere in the digital world. The young boy could no longer focus his attention on Gennai's situation; the digital world was beginning to show strange changes. He could see it through his own special monitor in his personal chamber.

Beside him was a curled up Culumon, who was quickly showing signs of independence and maturity. "Kellen?" mewed the little digimon; "What're you watching?" His young friend answered him while still looking intently on what he was seeing on his screen, "I'm watching these dark towers show up on the digital world's globe."

He then began to explain exactly what he was seeing: "It looks like they're all connected to each other through the core of the planet."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, the digital world is made primarily of computer data, all pulled together by electro-magnetic pulses and other sources of electricity. All of that power is what makes up the planet's core. …And these dark towers seem to have sprung up right from that center."

Little Culumon approached the map that Kellen was focused on; he blinked, "What's that blue stuff inside of them?" He was referring to the strange alight that appeared on the icons of these dark towers. Kellen replied, "It looks like… data streams."

"Data streams?"

"Yeah… You know how every digimon is made up by a data stream? Well actually, everything in the digital world has one of them. And these towers…" The boy then gasped, "Oh! The data streams that're coming from the towers are coming straight from the planet's core. It's as if they're purposely trying to drain the core's power by releasing it like pipes."

"…What happens if they release it all?"

"…Then we're in a whole world of trouble- Oh no!"

Kellen had then spotted activity from inside one of the dark towers, as he'd seen it through his virtual map. He touched the map to get a closer look, and indeed, two glowing spheres that represented intruders were making their way through the tower's great hall.

"This is bad," gulped Kellen; then he took to his feet and announced, "Come on, Culumon! We've got to get to that tower before something bad happens!" Since he knew every corner of the planet, Kellen dashed to the nearest shortcut, with Culumon bouncing behind.

There was something seriously wrong in the calm cool air, as Penguinmon and Jun continued their way through the deep, dark halls of the spire.

While the little purple bird waddled bravely on, his human partner gazed in curiosity at the strange blue carvings on the walls. They seemed to show an ancient form of language, formed in a symmetric pattern. These markings were actually glowing blue, bright enough to light the way down the long hall.

Then Jun started to worry and said, "Penguinmon? …I have a feeling we're going in circles." The little bird smiled, "Can't be, Jun; we've been going straight the whole time!" Jun moaned in reply, "But it just feels like we're always making turns…"

Then they paused to take a breather, and so Jun took the opportunity to reach out to the walls to feel the texture of the wall markings; "What do you suppose these all mean?" she wondered aloud. Penguinmon shrugged, "I've never seen those writings before; I can't read 'em."

As Jun continued to feel the markings through her fingers, the glow given off by them was now starting to vibrate, as if it was made of pure energy. After getting a small static shock, Jun finally withdrew her hand from the wall.

"Come on," squawked the little penguin; "I got a strange feeling we're getting somewhere!" As she followed, Jun rolled her eyes and replied, "I just hope it's not another endless hall…"

After all this time of walking, the dark hallway was finally giving way to a light at the end of the tunnel. Once the clearing was crossed, Jun and Penguinmon entered a true, wide room now.

They both gasped in amazement at the beautiful glow that was coming from the center of this room. It looked like light from a chandelier, only there was none, but a light blue orb near the ceiling. And surrounding it was a stream of digital data, much like the data that would surround a digivolving (or di-digivolving) digimon.

"What is that?" Jun asked. Penguinmon gapped his beak and blinked, "I… dunno… It looks like a digi-egg, or something." "It's so high up," preserved Jun, "I can't reach it." "I can!" bragged the little Rookie, and then he digivolved into his Champion form right before Jun's eyes:

------------ Digivolution- Champion ------------

"PENGUINMON, DIGIVOLVE TO… SABERDRAMON!"

------ End Vision ------

Saberdramon was a little too big to fit inside this narrow room, and so it didn't take him much effort to reach out his beak toward the orb of light. Once he and the orb made contact, it seemed to have combusted. The force of this combustion unleashed the data stream that once guarded the digi-egg, and by default it reversed Saberdramon's evolution, back into Penguinmon.

Taken back by the force of his digi-volution, Penguinmon made a hard landing on his backside. "Penguinmon!" gasped Jun, and she ran to his side.

As she ran to him, she missed a glorious sight; the light that surrounded the room started to die down, as the digi-egg had now hatched into a great whirlpool of pure energy.

In reaction to the unraveling of a great data stream, all of the markings that appeared inside and outside of the tower began to glow as brightly as stars.

From outside, one could see this great pattern of light, and then suddenly the tower began to move in circles. Each level went its own direction; level one turned clockwise, level two turned counter-clockwise, level three went clockwise, level four counter-clockwise, and so on. It was almost as if it became a power drill.

Kellen and Culumon entered the center of the tower, where Jun and Penguinmon stood huddled together. The boy only needed to take one look at the data stream whirlpool, and he gasped in shock; "…We're too late…"

Jun heard this, and became overwhelmed with fear and regret; she muttered, "…What have we done?…"

Ken, Davis and their digimon were far enough to see the dark tower glow for themselves. They paused to watch it in awe, but their sight was soon hazed by a harsh wave of sand being blown in the wind. The wind current was blowing against them, causing almost the whole group to cover their faces so that the sand wouldn't get in their eyes.

Ken winced, "Ack! …Can't …see …anything! The sand's too-"

Then he saw that Davis was smiling with comfort, as his inherited goggles were now covering his eyes.

Slightly jealous, Ken scowled, "Okay, now you're just showing off!"

Then suddenly-

**FOOM!**

Behind then, a great geyser of sand erupted. The boys were all tripped and fell either head first or back first into the sand; once they recovered, they saw that the beast that came jumping out from beneath the earth was Gluttonymon.

They looked in disgust at his oversized stomach, which had its own ugly face and huge mouth on it; his real face was like that of a mutated warthog's, and the rest of his body was pretty much a big tan blob. Oh, and one could never forget about those limbs that resembled an oversized set of a fork and a knife.

"Hello, booooysss," he hissed. In reaction, the digimon heroes evolved:

------------ Digivolution: Ultimate ------------

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………. EX-VEEMON!

EX-VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………. PAILDRAMON!"

"WORMMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……… STINGMON!

STINGMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……….. DINOBEEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

None of this seemed to flinch Gluttonymon, as he already had his deadly silverware limbs in the air; he hammered them down hard enough to case a tidal wave of sand that nearly buried the human boys. Shielding them, of course, were their friends, who thanks to their Ultimate forms looked almost like twins.

But before anyone else could make a move, Gluttonymon pulled a very unfair card: "Caterpillmon," he growled with an insane smile. "Who??" asked the two Ultimates in perfect unison. Gluttonymon made himself more clearly by pointing his devilishly long cutting knife at DinoBeemon. "You," he sneered; "You're the one with the nerve to fight on the wrong side."

"Not this again," growled DinoBeemon; "Don't listen to him!" shouted Ken; "He's just trying to throw you off!"

The great blob of a beast looked to the boy and grinned, "You've got some nerve too, you know. Have you forgotten the dark spore that still lingers inside your neck?" Ken shook a fist at him and growled, "I'm not listening to a word you say!" "Then why don't you bear your battle gear, and prove me wrong?" challenged the Sin.

At first, Ken paused; then Davis, who was the only truly defenseless person there, told his friend, "You don't have a choice, Ken. It's two on one; the guys need you." "I could digivolve to GranKwagamon," said the Ultimate closest to Ken, but then the young man shook his head; "No, save your strength… Besides, Davis is right. I gotta do this."

The Sin narrowed his eyes and grinned joyfully, "Perfect."

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

(As before, Ken's crest lights up and opens a portal of hot-pink data. Ken jumps into it, and passes through an image of GranKwagamon. The image then digitizes, and reshapes itself into different pieces of his armor. When complete, he "lands" and strikes a pose.)

"Ken Ichijouji, Battle Gear Digivolve based on……..GRANKWAGAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

It was now one against three; for anyone else, this wouldn't seem like a fair fight, but Gluttonymon was beyond the power of all three heroes.

They took their turns swarming and striking at him, but for someone so plump and seemingly slow, Gluttonymon blocked every attack with ease, thanks to his silverware-like arms.

The trio of heroes then tried a series of attacks to slow down the huge Sin; first Paildramon pile-drove himself into the creature's stomach, while DinoBeemon went straight for his head with "HELL MASQUERADE!" Gluttonymon anticipated this, but his attention was drawn away from Ken, who took up the great black scythe on his arm and launched, "DIMENSION SLASH!" Like the "Dimension Scissors" slash of GranKwagamon's pincers, Ken ripped open a riff in the air that cut straight through Gluttonymon's back.

The Sin seemed to take this attack hard, as he wailed in pain and stopped moving for a moment. All three heroic warriors jumped back to see just how much of an impact Ken's attack made. To their amazement, Gluttonymon's back was at one moment cut into, but now it was quickly reformatting itself. "How is he doing that!?" gasped Paildramon; DinoBeemon guessed, "I think he's just too powerful for one of us to take on."

"Fine then," replied Paildramon as he took to the sky; "Let's all hit him at one time!"

"DESPERADO BLASTER!"

"HELL MASQUERADE!"

"DIMENSION SLASH!"

**WHOOSH!!**

These attacks came from all sides, and for a minute or two, it seemed as though they had gone through. But once the heroes found time to catch their breath, the smoked cleared and Gluttonymon was well in tact, and laughing maniacally. Even Davis, at this point, was beginning to sweat; "I… don't believe it!" he gasped; "None of those attacks worked!"

As if things couldn't look much darker for the heroes, the sky was melting into a dismal shade of gray, and even the sand below everyone's feet was graying. The heroes observed this in confusion, but Gluttonymon kept a wicked smile. He looked to the North, where the dark tower in the far distance continued to circulate and glow. "Ah," he hummed; "It's starting already."

"What's starting?" asked Paildramon. Gluttonymon replied calmly, "You see that tower in the distance? That is my Power Spine; each of the Sin Digimon has marked a territory in this world, and it is here where I plan to make my base of operations."

"In a barren desert?" questioned Davis.

"Oh, this wasn't a desert when I got here!" laughed the bloated beast. "The Power Spines are meant to turn everything in our territory into a realm of darkness, and as you can see, it's already working!"

It was true; there were no clouds in the sky and yet all color was lost in the atmosphere. The air grew cold and the sand felt frozen. Davis turned to Ken and gasped, "We have to get to that tower and destroy it!" "Right," nodded Ken, and the two of them led the charge towards the Power Spine.

Gluttonymon, meanwhile, watched them leave and laughed, "Go on! Just TRY to undo the darkness! HA-hahahahahaha!"

When they got to the Power Spine, the quartet of heroes began to see that it was actually churning like a power drill. Paildramon commented, "Wow! Looks like this is more than just a tower…" He then looked to his Ultimate friend and asked, "Are you ready?" "Yep," nodded DinoBeemon.

The two of them went into the battle stances, when suddenly a familiar voice shouted, "DON'T DO IT!" This caused all of the heroes to lose their balance and concentration; "Huh?" they all gasped. They looked up- all the way up- towards the sky, and to their amazement, there was a huge black bird circling them like an oversized vulture. But it wasn't a vulture at all; it was Saberdramon. And riding him was someone even Davis didn't expect.

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating this; when he looked up again, his mouth gapped, "…Jun…" he muttered. As Saberdramon descended from the sky, Jun called to them again, "Don't destroy the Power Spine! It's connected to the digital world's core; you could destroy this entire area!!"

The boys were taken completely by surprise, so they waited until Saberdramon made a graceful landing. Once he did, Jun jumped off his back. At first sight of her brother, Jun's heart leapt for joy.

"DAVIS!"

"JUN!"

The two of them were all too happy to see each other, so being able to run to each other and hug was something they've both been looking forward to for some time now. "I was so worried about you!" Davis gasped; "Are you alright?" Jun nodded, "I'm okay… But Sabderamon and I made the same mistake you guys almost did."

"Whaddya mean?" he blinked; his sister turned to the tower and explained, "Kellen figured it out by himself; these Power Spines are digging all the way to the digital world's core. If anybody destroys these things, they might just delete a huge chink of the planet."

Then her Champion partner added, "When we first got here, we saw an army of Phantomon guarding it. We fought them off, but they didn't put up much of a fight. And now we know why…" DinoBeemon concluded, "So, the Sins are using the digital world's own data streams to turn this place evil, and if we interfere, we could destroy it." "That's right," Saberdramon nodded; "It's a lose-lose situation."

"Then how do we stop it?" Davis gulped. "You can't," hissed the voice of Gluttonymon; all of the heroes whirled around, and right behind them stood the blubbery beast. "Ew!" gasped Jun; "What is that!?" The half-hog, half-blob grinned at her; "I am Gluttonymon, and you must be The Humble One. I'd say it's a pleasure to finally meet you, sweetie, but I'm afraid I have to cut this meeting short!"

With that, he raised his giant knife-like arm and screamed, "FEEDING FRENZY!" Everyone jumped out of the way, and the knife's impact on the earth deleted as much as ten feet across and ten feet below the surface.

The battle commenced all around the Power Spine; the heroes tried to avoid all of Gluttonymon's "Feeding Frenzies", while he kept sweeping clean all of the sand and dust from the Power Spine.

Eventually, a huge crater surrounded the Power Spine, as it continued to churn and glow like a slow-moving power drill. And no matter what attack the heroes threw at Gluttonymon, he would just reconfigure himself as if his body was made out of the toughest mud.

"Give it up, children," hissed the Sin; "You can't beat me, not even in your Mega forms." "We'll see," challenged DinoBeemon.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Mega ------------

"DINOBEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……….. GRAN KWAGAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The great black insect pile-drove himself into Gluttonymon, pushing him into the Power Spine's wall. Everyone else watched in surprise, as the Spine's thick layering was tough enough to withstand this attack.

They pushed and shoved each other like pro wrestlers; they also gave each other a series of punches, kicks and slashes. They seemed to have been evenly matched, until Gran Kwagamon felt compelled to unleash his ultimate attack. He opened up his mouth and started to call forth, "DIMENSION SCI-"

"NO, STOP!"

This was Ken screaming; he was trying to warn Gran Kwagamon that his attack was aiming directly at the Power Spine. Luckily, the Mega digimon heard him just in time, and instantly held back his attack.

"Coward," hissed the Sin; he then opened up the great mouth on his abnormally bloated stomach, and roared, "FEED MY FACE!"

The stomach's mouth then started to inhale everything in its path; even the heroes felt magnetized by this force. "Jun, quick!" roared Saberdramon, as he tried to reach for his human partner. Both Jun and Davis grabbed into his talon, and from there he tried to take off to the sky.

Paildramon had a similar plan, but even he wasn't strong enough to hold off against the full force of Gluttonymon's suction. Even Gran Kwagamon, the largest and most powerful of them all, was taken in by Gluttonymon's suction; it was like a black hole effect. Nothing was safe.

The Sin laughed like a mad hyena as his magnifying attack caused all of his enemies to be drawn closer and closer to his stomach.

But not all of them were accounted for; Ken, still in his battle gear, used his scythe as an anchor while he tried to crawl away from Gluttonymon's path of destruction.

Perhaps Gluttonymon spared him on purpose, because he eyed the young boy without argument. Once he felt he was in a safe area, Ken acted fast. He pulled out his bullwhip and attacked; "KAISER WHIP!"

**CRACK!**

The whip latched into Gluttonymon's fork-arm; so far, every other enemy that so much as touched this whip was deleted, but Gluttonymon was still in tact. In fact, he anticipated Ken's attack, and took advantage of the fact that he now had the former Kaiser right where he wanted him.

Fortunately for Ken's friends, Gluttonymon was forced to stop his attack, and they were free to move. But now Ken and the Sin were playing a rough game of tug-o-war over the whip. Proving his super strength once again, Gluttonymon took the whip and with it he whipped Ken all the way to the Power Spine.

The others watched helplessly as Ken landed straight on his back, up against the Power Spine.

All at once, the Spine's electro-magnetic pulses went out of control, and surged themselves through Ken's battle gear. Needless to say, this was a bad thing…

**ZAAAAAAAP!**

Now Ken was being electrocuted- more than that, he was being charged with this evil energy that messed with the digital world itself. As painful as this experience was, Ken could only howl and scream, and was otherwise motionless. "KEN!" howled Gran Kwagamon; he tried to make a dash to the Power Spine, but with one grab of Gluttonymon's forth-hand, he was held back.

The others tried to rush in as well, but they were all forced away by the static shocks of the Power Spine. All the while, Gran Kwagamon struggled against Gluttonymon's hold on him; "Let me go!" he growled; but Gluttonymon sneered, "You'll stand by and you'll watch this… This, my friend, is almost exactly what happened to your LAST human partner. Don't you remember?" "No," hissed the Mega hero; the Sin grinned, "Well then, maybe _this_ will jog your memory."

When he said "this," he didn't really mean Ken's situation; for at that moment, Gluttonymon unleashed part of his own data stream into Gran Kwagamon's head. The Mega tried to fight it, but all of a sudden he had these flash images:

A young girl.

A jungle paradise.

An onslaught of evil digimon.

An explosion of some kind.

The young girl's seemingly lifeless body.

And then, nothing.

"YAAH!" howled the Mega insect; Gluttonymon finally released him, and Gran Kwagamon pulled back, shaking his head in both confusion and disbelief. "Yesss," hissed the Sin; "You remember now, don't you… Caterpillmon?"

The Mega insect was in shock, and paused before he made any sudden movements.

But then he realized that his human partner was still in danger; "Ken," he muttered. His wings suddenly vibrated, and he took to the air; "I've got to save Ken!" he roared. Gluttonymon just watched him fly by, satisfied that he had done his job.

Finally, by the time Gran Kwagamon reached him, Ken's electric shock was over. He was found sitting up against the Power Spine, looking limp. His head was bowed to the ground, so his partner couldn't tell f he was awake or not.

Gently, Gran Kwagamon nudged him and whispered, "…Ken?… Ken, are you alright?" Then at last, Ken raised his head and opened his eyes. "uuhhh," he moaned. He seemed to be alright, and so his friends breathed a fresh sigh of relief.

But then…

"…Who… dares… call me… by my real name?"

At that moment, Gran Kwagamon di-digivolved back to the small and innocent Wormmon. "Ken!" he gasped; "Don't you recognize me? It's me… Wormmon." The young man struggled to his feet, still weakened by the electric shocks, but then he stared carefully at the little green creature that stood before him.

In the distance, the other heroes watched and waited for any sudden dangers. They held their breath, as Ken's eyes suddenly widened. They haven't looked like that since…

"YOU!" he hollered at Wormmon. Wormmon jumped back, recognizing that harsh tone; "Ken?" he shivered. The young man seemed furious with the little creature, and all of a sudden he reached for his whip.

Then Davis saw it; Ken's battle gear started to change color, from black to blue, and back to black again. Davis also saw that his friend was about to try and attack Wormmon; "NO! DON'T DO IT!" he screamed, but it was too late.

The Kaiser swiped at Wormmon with his whip, but the little caterpillar ducked just in time. Right before his clear-blue eyes, Wormmon watched in horror as Ken started to transform back into the Digimon Kaiser.

But then he stopped in mid-action, as if frozen in time. As Ken started having an identity crisis, a surge of black electricity haloed his body. It almost looked as if both the Ken they knew and the old Ken they once feared were appearing at the same time, and the appearance of each of them was triggered by an involuntary electric shock.

Somewhere in her lush forest, Gaiamon gasped in terror. She clutched into her chest, as if feeling a great pain inside; "It's happening already," she frowned, "just as I've feared…"

Saberdramon approached Ken from above, and on top of him was Davis and Jun; Davis hollered, "Ken! Take off your battle gear, NOW!" But he couldn't hear Davis; Ken seemed to be flashing back and forth from himself to the Kaiser, and it seemed as though no one could reach him.

Wormmon tried, at least; he launched himself at his partner, but the black electricity forced him back. The little caterpillar fell on his back, and he started to cry; "…I can't do it… I can't save him!"

"No one can," bragged the nearby Gluttonymon; "My task here is complete; I have unleashed the dark side of the so-called Kind One. And now you get to watch as you lose yet another human to the darkness, Caterpillmon!" With that, the evil Sin laughed again, and like a slug he dipped himself back into the dark sand, and was gone.

Saberdramon and Paildramon made a quick landing where Ken stood frozen. They all could see him struggling with himself, holding his head and gritting his teeth in pain. "What do we do?" gulped Jun; her brother quivered in fear, "…I…don't know!"

"Well, we can't just leave him like this!" said Paildramon; "What do you suggest?" asked Saberdramon in reply. Wormmon quickly struggled to get back on his right side, and he paused to shake the sand out of his ears. Then he called to them, "Do whatever you can; just don't hurt him!" "_What could we do?"_ they all wondered.

For a minute, they paused to watch and only try to imagine what was going on inside of him…

------------ Vision: Ken vs. Kaiser ------------

Deep inside Ken's mind, another battle was taking place. This battle took place in a very similar desolate land, where the sky and earth were colorless and gray. But there was no Power Spine in sight, nor were there any digimon.

There were, in fact, only two people dueling. They each had the same name, the same face, and almost the same suit of armor. One was Battle Gear Ken, the hero and the true Ken Ichijouji; the other was a shadow from his dark past, the Digimon Kaiser.

They were both masters of the bullwhip and of a scythe; they chased each other through the wasteland, one dodging the other's attack. The more they scraped the land, the more of it had disappeared, as if deleted data. This was, of course, the point; one had to destroy the other, so that only one could take full control of the body.

Neither Ken nor the Kaiser showed any signs to tiredness or fear; faster and faster they swiped and whipped at each other, and each was getting more and more riled up with fury. And as soon as the Kaiser got the best of Ken, and vice versa, the signs started to show on the outside…

------------ End Vision ------------

Ken, in the digital world, kept switching back and forth from black to blue armor; from red lenses to gold glasses; from black hair to blue hair. Then he even started to speak at times; "…I …must… destroy…. I… can't… let…." Jibberish like this was becoming the norm, much to the fear and frustration of Ken's true friends.

"I can't take much more of this," Davis growled as he felt all the more useless in Ken's endangerment. Jun was frozen in fear and worry, but she couldn't help but stare at the necklace that was worn around Ken's neck; she blinked, "Is that… his crest?" Davis nodded, "Yeah, that's the Crest of Kindness. It's what made him go into the battle—

"THAT'S IT!" he cheered with eyes lit up with wisdom; "It's his battle gear! We've gotta take it off!"

"I'm on it," announced Paildramon, and he launched himself at Ken, who was still struggling from the inside out. Paildramon was charged with dark electricity once he laid a claw on the Crest of Kindness, but it was a shock he was willing to take.

But one Ultimate wasn't enough to shake the Crest of Kindness off of the distraught body of poor Ken. But then Saberdramon took his talon and teamed up with Paildramon to yank it off the boy's neck.

Again, it wasn't enough; but then suddenly Stingmon appeared- Wormmon had digivolved while no one was looking- and he took his own hold of the Crest of Kindness. Two Champions and one Ultimate were now a reckonable force for the dark energy that kept Ken's battle gear activated.

On the inside, the battle between the good Ken and the evil Kaiser waged on…

But it wouldn't last much longer. Soon enough, the digimon team was strong enough to yank the battle crest clean off of Ken's battle gear. At last, the electric surge was gone, and a stunned Ken di-digivolved back into his true self.

He plopped face first into the sand; "Ken!" gasped Stingmon. When he gently picked him up, he could see that his young friend was completely out cold.

The heroes gave him a brief examination to see if there were any injuries that he sustained; amazingly enough, there were none…

"Well done, Gluttonymon," praised Pridemon, as her fellow Sin made his way back into Daru's hidden lair; "We could have waited much longer for the dark spore to corrupt the battle gear's system, but using your own Power Spine…" "It was nothing," replied Gluttonymon, who at this point has resumed his shadowy form.

He added, "I just hope that this will lead up to the next phase of my plan: capturing Gaiamon."

Nearby, a shadowed Lustmon stood leaning against a corner with her arms crossed; she said solemnly, "But we've already tried to gang up on those Keepers; they're too powerful for us." Pridemon corrected her, "Wrong. Now that one of her chosen guardians is incapacitated, her strength will be weakened.

"Gluttonymon, you alone must take this risk; go to Gaiamon's jungle immediately and draw out those pesky little children." "With pleasure," he said as his bloated tummy rumbled with hunger.

Lustmon stood her ground, and narrowed her eyes at Gluttonymon, as if she lost all trust for him.

That evening, it rained in Gaiamon's jungle.

Those heroes that traveled back from the barren desert were overcome with exhaust and despair, so a good shower did them some good, to an extent.

Ken was laid to rest on her mossy tree base of Gaiamon herself, as she looked on with concern. She looked to the children and their digimon and sighed, "I am sorry… This is partially my fault; if I knew years ago that the Digi-Destined of Kindness would be poisoned by a dark spore…"

Davis sighed back, "It's not your fault at all, Gaiamon. I just wish we could've done something sooner." "It all happened so fast," frowned Jun. Gaiamon understood completely, and just as she was worried about her child of Kindness' condition, so too was she for all of them… especially the little caterpillar who curled up next to Ken on her uproots.

"Wormmon?" she murmured; "are you alright?" Wormmon looked up to her silently, then gave her a small nod. "It was a hard day for all of you," said the tree; "All we could do now is rest for the night and gather our strength. I fear that tomorrow will be an even more trying day."

She received arguments from no one; and so the heroes gathered together to rest near the tree-like Keeper of the digital land. Sleep wasn't easy to find for most of them, least of all Wormmon, who was now completely aware of his dark past- thanks to Gluttonymon.

But eventually, the nighttime brought with it a soothing atmosphere, filled with charming lightning bugs (not fireflies), a star-filled sky and a gentle breeze of fresh air. All of this was enough to allow the young adventurers and their digimon to forget all of the day's troubles and finally catch some sleep. All seemed well once again.

Even Ken looked peaceful.

TO BE CONTINUED 


	17. Snake In The Grass

_"Penguinmon and I have been searching the desert for Greedmon's hideaway, but we got a lot more than what we bargained for. Turns out these huge towers are showing up everywhere, and they're turning everything dark and evil. Ken and Davis weren't too far away from us, but they had problems of their own. Thanks to Gluttonymon, Wormmon now knows that he used to be bad, and now Ken's dark core has made his battle gear go absolutely berserk. Now we're all distraught, and hoping that everyone else is having more luck than we are!"_

-Jun

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Seventeen: "Snake In The Grass"**

When morning came, Davis and Veemon were the first to rise, followed shortly by Jun and Penguinmon. For a few moments, they all seemed refreshed and excited to go about their business, but then Penguinmon turned to Wormmon, who slept peacefully on one of Gaiamon's uproots next to Ken, who was still out cold.

"Boy," Davis muttered, "Those two sure had it rough yesterday." "I know," nodded Jun; "I wonder if Ken's gonna wake up today. Should we try?" "Nah," disagreed her little partner; "He may need his sleep. Besides, we gotta get back on our track to find out where Greedmon's keeping our Crest of Humility."

"I know where it is," whispered the tree nearby; all eyes turned to the woman whose face appeared through the green bark of the tree. Gaiamon said calmly, "There is a dark Power Spine that lies deep within the west ocean. My sister, Oceanamon, has spotted it herself. She claims to have seen Greedmon floating about there; we're guessing that this is his territory."

"…Underwater?" gulped Jun; "But… How're we gonna get to it?" Penguinmon smiled to her, "Don't worry Jun; I'm an expert when it comes to water!" "You're gonna need all the help you can get," Davis added; "I'll look for the others and see if they can help."

Veemon then gasped, "But wait! …What about Ken and Wormmon?" Gaiamon gave him a smile, "Don't worry; I'll watch over the both of them. You children go fulfill your destinies." "Right," nodded the siblings. Not long after that brief talk, they were off.

While morning was still upon them, Cody, Mimi and their digimon had taken shelter for the night in another lush-green paradise, called The Great Gardens. They didn't know it at the time, but this was one if Gaiamon's most special of continents.

The heroes were resting beneath a giant rose bush, one tall enough to be a tree, and since it rained that night, the following morning brought oversized raindrops that came dripping down from the oversized pink roses.

Cody was the first to get one- right in the nose. He awoke alarmed, coughing and beating his chest as if he nearly drowned. Then his partner, Armadillomon, got splashed in the head by a series of raindrops. "I'm up! I'm up!" he shouted as he launched to his feet.

The girls, Mimi and Palmon, were awakened by the boys' gestures. Peacefully, they yawned and stretched while the boys shook themselves dry of the rain. "Morning," smiled Mimi sweetly; "Morning," coughed Cody in reply.

Lazily, Mimi leaned back against the base of the giant bush and sighed, "Isn't this garden beautiful? I'd like to stay here awhile longer." Palmon nodded, "We've got a lotta ground to cover; why don't we do a little exploring here?" But Cody began to protest, "We're supposed to stay together as a group; Tai and Matt said so."

Mimi frowned, "Tai and Matt aren't here anymore; and besides, I like it here." "Me too!" exclaimed Palmon, as she started dancing around the randomly falling pollen; "I feel like I was born here." Again, Cody protested; "You girls can get lost in this place; it's like a forest of oversized plants."

Armadillomon knew better than his partner that Mimi and Palmon were in their element, so he nudged Cody's leg and purred, "It's okay, Cody." "Huh?" Cody blinked, and Armadillomon smiled, "The girls will be fine here. You n' me should head for the beach, where all the cities are."

Despite his age, Cody was always one to be a little too careful; but for some reason, he didn't feel like arguing with his digimon partner. He could tell by the tone in Armadillomon's voice that he knew what the girls were doing.

So, he sighed, "Okay…" But then he turned to Mimi and Palmon and said, "Just make sure you'll be careful. And call us with your digivice if you need us." "Okay," nodded the girls.

So the deal was made; Cody and Armadillomon parted ways with Mimi and Palmon. The boys headed east while the girls continued south, down the path that would take them deeper into the forest.

(Begin Gloria Estefan's "I Just Wanna Be Happy")

"Welcome to the Great Gardens, a sanctuary for all earthy digimon, courtesy of Gaiamon, Keeper of the Digital Land!"

This was the greeting Mimi and Palmon have received by a Veggiemon, as they entered the heart of the gardens. Here, it was more than a paradise- it was the home and playground of many various digimon.

Most of these creatures were plants, rocks, reptiles and amphibians; each one was meant to live in a place where the weather was always warm and the land was abundant with fresh water and green surroundings.

But Mimi and Palmon have seen more than that here- there was music, dancing, and endless games around every corner. It wouldn't be long before the two explorers would fall head first into the fun.

First, they danced with the Floramon and Gotsumon, to the beat of a full-out digimon band. Gekomon and Shogungekomon blasted their trumpets, while Veggiemon and Red Veggiemon banged bongo-sized mushrooms (and at one point, a poor little Mushroomon was mistaken for one).

And it didn't stop there…

_Wanna midnight rendezvous_

_Wanna give my love to you_

_Wanna make my dreams come true-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

_Wanna dance the whole night through_

_Wanna smell the flowers too_

_Wanna feel like lovers do-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

At one point, Mimi decided to swing and slide through the trees like a femme Tarzan, while Palmon parachuted from atop the towering trees with a troop of Mushrommon, just for fun.

Later, the girls joined in a game of polo, riding Kiwimon. Then later, they played leapfrog with a gang of Betamon, with bubbling Bukamon in the background.

_Come dancing, 'cause I feel good inside_

_I got the feelin' that money just can't buy_

_I may be dreamin', or is it my reality? Oh-oh,_

_I'm a believer, and I believe I'm free_

_I can be happy because I want to be_

_Don't need nobody to say what's right or wrong for me_

_Wanna midnight rendezvous_

_Wanna give my love to you_

_Wanna make my dreams come true-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

_Wanna dance the whole night through_

_Wanna smell the flowers too_

_Wanna feel like lovers do-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

The girls kept playing around with the residents of the Great Gardens; a team of Cherrymon had joined to create their own version of a Ferris wheel, and nearby some Woodmon had built themselves up to be a jungle gym for little Rookies.

_I'm movin' to where I wanna go_

_Feelin' the rhythm, letting my body flow_

_Made a decision to control my destiny. Oh-oh,_

_Don't wanna sit back, watchin' life pass me by_

_I wanna get up, you know I gotta fly_

_Won't ever give up till I'm happy, joyous, and free!_

_Wanna midnight rendezvous_

_Wanna give my love to you_

_Wanna make my dreams come true-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

_Wanna dance the whole night through_

_Wanna smell the flowers too_

_Wanna feel like lovers do-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

Later, Palmon swung from a tree hard enough to dive right into a huge lake, full of fishy creatures like Dolphmon. They too danced the day away, underwater, and Palmon soon became part of their self-made fountain.

_Hey! …Hey!_

_(Wanna midnight) Hey!_

_(Wanna midnight) Hey!_

_(Wanna midnight) Hey!_

While Palmon was over by the lake, Mimi was nearby, jumping onto a giant sunflower. The sunflower was connected to a giant flower-made merry-go-round, which was piloted by a Blossomon, and with the human rode along all other kinds of flowery digimon.

_I just wanna be…_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

_Happy, joyous and free!_

Of course, things did get a little complicated at this point; Palmon became distracted by a playful Red Veggiemon, who decided to spin her like a top after coiling her in its vines.

While Mimi's Palmon spun off, Mimi herself jumped off the merry-go-round to be welcomed by a familiar leafy hand. Mimi was so caught up in her enjoyment that she overlooked the fact that this Palmon beside her had a purple flower on her head instead of a pink one, and that the green in her stem-like flesh was a darker tone.

_Wanna midnight rendezvous_

_Wanna give my love to you_

_Wanna make my dreams come true-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

_Wanna dance the whole night through_

_Wanna smell the flowers too_

_Wanna feel like lovers do-_

_I just wanna be happy!_

_I just wanna be happy!_

_I just wanna be happy!_

The little Rookie then led her away, deeper into the forest, and by the time the other Palmon woke up from her dizzy spell, her human friend was gone.

(Song ends)

It took her a little while to notice it, but once she looked around and started calling, "Mimi? …Mimi?" no one responded.

The party had ended within the hours, but Mimi still had it locked inside her head as she and her comrade traveled deeper into the woods. As they did so, the scene got darker and darker, but that was because the trees were starting to shut out the sunlight.

In this deep shade, Mimi couldn't tell that her little traveling friend had a much different shade as her true Palmon.

"Boy, I'm so glad we decided to stick around here, Palmon!" she cheered; "I feel like I could stay in this Great Garden forever." "…You could, you know," replied the little Rookie. Mimi replied with a giggle, "Don't be silly. We still have a lot of fighting to do, don't we?"

The little Rookie commented, "Well, to be brutally honest with you, Mimi, I never really did like fighting."

Mimi turned her attention to the tree branches above her, and sighed, "…I don't like fighting either. I wish we could all just party like you and I did a while ago. Wouldn't it be nice if we had the chance to invite all our friends to that party?" The little Rookie gave her a nod, "Yes, that would have been fun…"

They continued on the road they were on, though there really was no road at all, and eventually there were less and less signs of life. For a garden, this was becoming slightly treacherous, but Mimi was still in high spirits.

They kept their little chat going, as Mimi smiled, "I remember Gaiamon saying something like, the digital world was meant to be a paradise. Well, while we're here, it really is looking like one. Doesn't it?" "Yes," nodded the little Rookie. Mimi went on by saying, "You'd almost forget that there were scary Sin digimon trying to destroy it all." "Yes," the Rookie nodded again; "It is a shame, isn't it?" Mimi sighed in reply, "Hmm… I almost would like to forget all about that…"

Then Mimi decided to sit on a tree's uproots to rest; her traveling friend sat down nearby, on a patch of grass.

"Palmon?"

"…Yes?"

"Do you think we'll ever get a chance to have fun around here again? I'm already missing the dancing and the game playing. I always feel like we come to this world just to do battle with something evil."

"…We could just… quit."

"What!?" Mimi gasped; she nearly lost her balance on the uproots; "What do you mean quit?"

The little Rookie rolled her beady eyes; "Okay, maybe not _quit_-quit… I'm just saying, maybe you and I could just… think this over a little bit."

"Okay… Think over what?"

"Fighting… If you don't feel like your heart's in it, then why do you do it?"

"…I do it because I have to."

"And who says you have to?"

This was beginning to feel like a strange conversation; Palmon never talked like this! More strangely, the little Rookie was now laid back with her head against a tree trunk, closing her eyes in a very peaceful manner.

But Mimi wasn't in the mood to get into a harsh fight with her friend, so she calmly replied with, "Destiny tell me I do." Then the little Rookie smiled, "…So you follow what everybody else says; that you're supposed to fight evil even when you don't really want to."

"…Well-"

"Do you really want to fight, or would you rather enjoy what little amount of youth you have left?"

"……"

"I'm just asking hypothetically, Mimi."

"Oh! …Heh, you sounded really serious… Uhh… Okay, hypothetically, if I really had a choice… I would choose not to fight."

It was settled then; the little Rookie resumed her state of peacefulness and replied, "That's all I wanted to know…"

"Mimi-i-i-i-i…! Mi-miiiiiii!" howled the worried Palmon, as she ventured deeper and deeper into the woods. Never before had she been separated from her human partner in the digital world for so long. It was beginning to scare Palmon, thinking that Mimi was all alone and lost in a forest that was quickly losing light thanks to the surrounding trees.

But then, she heard a very familiar voice in the distance. She followed it, and it led her to an open grassland. In this grassland stood a Rookie digimon that she never expected to run into again…

"So's then I said to the Cherrymon, 'That's not a toss salad!'" joked Veemon; laughing at his joke was a small group of Upamon, who were the only ones there to get the whole joke. "But seriously," said Veemon; "watch this!" He then showed off his agility by balancing himself on his arms, and then on one hand. The Upamon were amazed and cheered him. "Do it again!" one of them cheered.

"…Veemon?" Palmon gapped; she couldn't believe her eyes; was this Davis's Veemon? She was about to find out.

She approached him while he was beginning to juggle the Upamon while balancing himself on his tail. "Veemon!" boomed Palmon's voice; he reacted with a "Yipe!" and accidentally dropped the bouncy trainees. He then turned to the plant-like Rookie and smiled, "Hey there!"

Palmon blinked, "Veemon, what're you doing here? I thought you were with Davis!" The little blue Rookie paused and blinked, "…No?" Palmon went on by guessing, "Oh no. Did you two get lost in this jungle too?" Veemon just gave her a silly smile, "Hyeah, it is a big place, isn't it? Hey! Wanna see me chop a log in half with just my teeth?"

"Uh, no. We don't have a lot of-"

"I can do it! Watch!" There just happened to be a log nearby, and Veemon was all too happy to show off his brute force on it.

But Palmon grabbed his arm and said, "Come on, we gotta find Davis and Mimi! They could be in danger." Veemon just smiled again, "Nah! This place is safe; we can do whatever we want here. Did you see that party over by the lake?"

"Yeah, I was just-"

"They do that stuff every week! It's awesome!"

"…You mean you've been here before?"

"…You haven't?"

"……"

"Look, it'll just take a second!" Veemon then went back to heading for the log that he so joyfully wanted to break in two with his bare teeth. But Palmon grabbed him again and frowned, "I'm sorry, but we don't have time! I wanna find Mimi before something bad does happen."

"Okay, okay," Veemon sighed; "Where is she?" "That's what I wanna know!" Palmon replied aggressively, waving her leafy arms in the air with frustration. "Relax, toots," Veemon responded nonchalantly; "You're lucky you ran into me; I'm the bravest, baddest digimon in the jungle! Leave it to me; I'll find yer friend… Missy?"

"Mimi!"

"Right, got it."

With that, Veemon led the duo in the direction he knew for sure was the way to Mimi. Palmon followed, but was beginning to feel very suspicious about this Veemon.

…For one thing, he called her, "Toots?"

The evening came faster than Mimi had anticipated, and she and her traveling companion found themselves wandering into a very dark area of the gardens.

"Boy," observed the human, "it sure is getting dark around here." "Yeah," agreed the little Rookie beside her; "I'm sure we'll reach our destination soon though." Mimi wondered, "Which destination is that?" The little Palmon look-alike smiled, "Oh, you'll see… It's a very special part of the gardens; a place you'll never forget."

Mimi was slightly puzzled by the fact that Palmon seemed to know her way around this place, when earlier she was given the impression that neither Palmon nor herself have ever seen this place before. But she didn't feel like arguing, and smiled, "…Well, okay. I hope you know where you're going." "I sure do," led the little Rookie.

Sure enough, the little Rookie found an opening in the brush, and pushed her way out into a wide open grassland. Mimi had then gotten her first chance to see the sky in a while, but when she saw it, she was shocked to see just how black it was. Despite its blackness, there didn't seem to be any clouds in the sky, and that puzzled her even more.

Things got even creepier when she noticed just how gray and dismal the area looked; it was a complete contrast as to what she had seen much earlier. In fact, Mimi was convinced that they had found themselves outside of the gardens; surely this gray wasteland wasn't the same place.

"…Palmon…" she muttered fearfully, "Where are we?" "Palmon" didn't respond; instead, she walked onward, coaxing Mimi to follow her even further.

They took their time to pass through the marsh, where oversized weeds painted the terrain. As she followed her traveling friend, Mimi kept her eye on the sky, waiting to see if she could find a patch of sunlight peering behind the darkness… but to no avail.

Not long after they passed through the marsh, Mimi finally discovered why everything looked so dark and gloomy. Just several miles ahead of them stood what looked like a vine-wrapped temple, but in fact, it was a Power Spine. "What is that?" Mimi blinked; the little Rookie replied, "That, my friend, is a Power Spine; one of seven. There's at least one on every continent of the digital world."

Mimi paused, staring at the dark tower in awe; "Come on," said the little Rookie, "let's get closer."

When they did, they could see that the Spine was surrounded by trees, entrances to a deep, dark forest, which looked like the jaws of an open mouth. The bottom half of the dark tower was draped in weeds and vines, but nothing was truly green. Instead, what should have been light green was more like gray and muddled tones of brown and emerald green.

"This place gives me the creeps," Mimi muttered, as she huddled herself at the close-up sight of the dark fortress. "Nonsense," smiled the little Rookie, "Soon enough, it'll feel like home here. Just watch."

Mimi waited, and then she heard the scariest sound ever; the sound of something big snaking through the tall grass. She gasped, "Ahh! What's that?" Paranoid, she twirled her head around from all sides to see if she could spot whatever was creeping their way. But by the time it got there, she didn't see it coming, for it reared its ugly three heads to them from behind the dark tower.

**_H-SSSSS-sss-s-s-s!_**

Mimi let out a scream, knowing full well what the sound of a hissing snake was. But to further scare her, she turned around and saw that a giant blackish-green hydra had made its way into their sight.

Its three heads looked primarily like that of a normal constrictor, but as an addition, it also had wild flowing hair on each head. Mimi started shaking at the sight of the beast; "What… w-what IS that?" she stuttered. The snake replied by uncoiling herself from the tower and gazed directly at the human girl with her golden, piercing eyes. "I am Envymon," she declared darkly.

Mimi jumped out of her skin; she was aware that the Sin Digimon were vicious, but she never thought one would be THIS big, or THIS scary! Envymon's snake-like body seemed to have gone on forever; her tail was nowhere in sight. How she ever hid herself from the heroes up until now would forever remain a mystery.

The three-headed snake then hissed again; this time, in a calmer tone, "Welcome to my new playground, Mimi…"

"…Y-your playground?"

"That's-s-s right. I've claimed this land, and all digimon that live in it, my own realm. Here, my shadow will loom over the Great Gardens forever!"

Mimi paused to observe the decay and corruption that was already taking over the land; "No, you can't!" she gasped; "…Look what you're doing to this place! It's horrible…"

"My servants don't seem to mind it. Isn't that right… Aruraumon?"

Mimi's eyes blinked in shock, as she turned to the Palmon look-alike, who coyly waved back at her. All at once, it became clear to her; "You… She was working for you all along!"

"That's right," sighed the giant snake, as she leaned in closer to Mimi; "And soon, all plant-type digimon will follow me… And just what do you plan on doing about it?" Mimi balled her fists and boldly replied, "I'm going to fight you, that's what!" The giant hydra just smiled and giggled softly, "Please… You've made it clear to my little servant that you don't have any fight in you."

"That's a lie!" Mimi shouted, but Envymon didn't believe it. She hissed, "You never wanted to be a warrior, Mimi, not even from the very beginning. Oh, I've looked up your info; I know how you prefer clothes and makeup over battling evil forces."

"But I do it anyway," argued the human, "because it's my destiny."

"Destiny?" blinked the giant snake; "Don't you humans realize that destiny lies within your own hands?"

"…What?"

"Think about it, my dear. If you knew you had a choice to either become a Digi-Destined, or simple live out your life as a normal human, you would have simply chosen the latter. Am I not right?"

"…If I had a choice-"

"But you do…" grinned the giant snake; "If you really want to leave and go home, I'll let you. Just turn around and walk straight back from where you came. I promise I won't chase you."

Mimi took a moment to let what Envymon had said sink in. She knew she couldn't trust this snake, but she also knew that without Palmon, she was in serious trouble.

So she waited for Envymon to speak again, and she did: "Go on, Mimi! Leave this place… Let the others try to save it; you know you're not as strong as they are…" Mimi stood her ground, which made the snake's iron scales crawl; she hissed again, "I suppose you want a test then. …Fine. Aruraumon! GO!"

The Palmon look-alike then jumped in the air and digivolved:

"ARURAUMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO…… BLOSSOMON!"

In a heartbeat, the once innocent-looking plant creature had now become a vicious, giant flower with a set of sharp-toothed flytraps for arms. Quickly, the ultimate launched its vines at Mimi and grabbed her digivice and battle crest before she could even scream.

When she realized what had happened, Mimi shouted, "NO! Give them back!" "It's too late," Envymon replied; "You are all alone now, Mimi. No friends, no way of defending yourself, and absolutely no hope…. So, what are you waiting for?" "Huh?" blinked Mimi; Envymon then grinned, "Now is your chance, child. Run away, and forget that this ever happened…"

In the distance, Palmon could see the top of the giant Power Spine. She gasped, "What is that?" Veemon, who had been following her, saw it and gulped, "I don't think it's something I could bench-press."

Palmon then narrowed her eyes at the sight; "If my guess is right, then that thing's going to lead us to Mimi. Come on!" As he followed the pace-quickened Palmon, Veemon huffed, "Wait!… I… gotta… check my pulse first!"

Mimi knew what Envymon's plan was now: to single her out and convince her that she had no way of beating this wretched beast. But while the odds were against her, and her heart was racing at a pace that she couldn't keep up with, still she stood her ground. She paused to breathe, so that she could slowly begin to ignore her fear of snakes and all things that were icky.

Then, she found the courage to say, "Listen, Envymon. I've seen a lot of horrible things happen in this digital world. I've seen good digimon die, and ugly monsters like you run around like crazy. And, I'll bet that you're not even the worst of your group. But I've still got Palmon, and I'm NOT going to give up on her! There's just no way I'm gonna leave and let her get kicked around by creeps like you… So drop the act, because this is one Digi-Destined you can't lie to!"

Envymon grew weary of the human's resistance to her influence, so she decided to form Plan B: "Blossomon… Finish her."

Mimi was helpless to fight off the giant flower beast, who quickly scooped up the human into her powerful grip…

By simply following the path of darkness, Palmon led Veemon all the way to the place where the giant Power Spine stood amidst the trees and grassland. There, they both took a good look at the winding body of a giant hydra-like creature.

Taken back by surprise, Palmon gasped, "Ahh! I've never seen a digimon like that!" For once, Veemon used his brain and guessed, "…I don't think that is a digimon." Then, they saw the creature's winding heads rise to the sky; "It's gotta be… a Sin Digimon!" Palmon exclaimed.

To Palmon's horror, it seemed as though Envymon heard her voice, and reacted by moving her endless body so that Palmon could see that her human partner was in Blossomon's grip. "HELP! PALMON, HELP ME!" screamed Mimi. Palmon reacted just as Envymon wanted her too; "MIMI!" With that, she dashed off, towards the flower beast.

"PALMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……….. TOGEMON!"

In a flash, Togemon's gloved hands pounded on Blossomon's side, making the creature lose its grip of Mimi's digivice and battle crest. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to free Mimi herself.

That's when Togemon called out her reinforcements: "Veemon! Help us!!" Her friend responded; he took a running leap out of his hiding place and found his way near the human's digivice. Instinctively, it unleashed a data stream, which embraced the little blue Rookie. And that's when it happened.

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………….. VEEDRAMON!"

There was a long pause from all sides; even Envymon was taken by surprise. "…Veedramon?" was their only response.

------------ Digimon Card: VEEDRAMON ------------

Level: Champion

Attribute: Vaccine

Type: Mythical

"Okay, fine; I'm not as cute as Ex-Veemon, but I can kick this iron tail just as hard as any Champion would!"

-Veedramon

------------------------

This was definitely not Ex-Veemon; he was wingless, darker in blue tone, and had even longer horns and claws than the Champion form of Veemon that she knew.

Togemon looked upon her newly evolved friend and sighed; "Heh… If there were any doubts before about this being Davis' Veemon, now they're confirmed."

But it didn't matter; Veedramon evened the odds a bit against Blossomon, and with his brute strength, he and Togemon gave Blossomon a powerful squeeze, which finally caused the Ultimate to let go of the human.

"Mimi," gasped the giant cactus that was Togemon; she jumped down to Mimi's side and gently picked her up with her gloved hands. "Are you alright?" she asked; Mimi gave her a nod, "Yeah, I'm fine…"

Then the human looked to an angered Envymon, and gasped, "Togemon, that's Envymon. You gotta stop her, before she turns this whole place into a nightmare!" "Right," nodded her partner; Togemon then put Mimi down, and digivolved.

"TOGEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……. LILYMON!"

Surely, in her Ultimate form, Lilymon could put up a great fight against a Sin. In this form, as opposed to her earlier one, was faster, more agile, and could fly. But try as she could, she just couldn't cut down Envymon's size.

Envymon's snaky body seemed to go on forever, and worse yet, she was moving faster. After a while, Lilymon couldn't even target an attack on Envymon's body, because the Sin just kept moving like quicksilver.

"FLOWER CANNON!"

It was no use; no matter what she tried, Lilymon just couldn't penetrate Envymon's heavily armored body. The Sin just laughed at the Ultimate's attempts, and watched carefully as Lilymon started to slow down.

Quickly, Envymon took advantage of this, and lashed out her whip-like tail on Lilymon each time the heroine tried to make a landing. Tree branches were sliced; rocks were flattened; grass flew everywhere. Then, out of nowhere, the Sin attacked:

"SINISTER STRIKE!"

This attack launched a spray of venomous fangs from all of Envymon's heads, all of which were directed at the surprised Lilymon. The Ultimate tried to dodge them all, but as fast as she was, she couldn't evade one or two fang darts. She took one in the leg and another in the arm; she paused in mid air, stunned.

"Oh, no," Mimi gasped; "Even if I could help her digivolve, she's getting too weak…" She was right; Lilymon's slowing down meant that she was losing power. "HEY!" shouted the manly voice of Veedramon from out of nowhere. He approached Envymon from behind and growled, "That's no way to treat a lady!"

Envymon just hissed, which agitated the bulky Champion.

"V-NOVA BLAST!" he launched; it wasn't enough to stun the giant snake, but it was bright enough to at least stun her eyes. Lilymon and Mimi both watched in awe as their new friend went straight for Envymon's heads, and lashed at them with lightning-fast velocity. "Wow!" blinked Mimi; "For a Champion, he's really good!" Lilymon nearby smiled, "He must have been a Rookie for so long, his experience level must have increased."

Indeed, Veedramon was beginning to give Envymon's multi heads a run for their money, but she bounced back by calling out, "BLOSSOMON!" Now the odds were against them, as the evil Ultimate came jumping out and tackled Veedramon in mid-air.

Despite his newfound strength, Veedramon had as much a chance at beating an Ultimate as any Champion would. But he gave it his all by wrestling and tussling with Blossomon left and right.

While Veedramon was occupied, Envymon was now able to focus her attention back on Lilymon. But now Lilymon was getting her second wind; "FLOWER CANNON!" she roared, and a burst of energy came launching out from Lilymon's weapon to Envymon's middle head.

This took the Sin by surprise, but she was all too happy to retaliate with, "EYES OF THE BEHOLDER!" This attack was easier for Lilymon to dodge, but she wasn't counting on Envymon's massive tail to trip her up from behind.

Quickly, Envymon wrapped her steel-plated coils around her enemy and started to slowly squeeze the life out of her. Nearby, Mimi started to panic and hollered, "Stop it! Let her go!" The Sin cocked one of her snaky heads to the young lady and hissed, "Oh, and what are you going to do about it? Would you dare put on your battle gear and fight me?"

Mimi gasped for air, as all at once her fear came rushing back into her blood. She froze; Envymon laughed, "Ha, I knew it. You're too scared to fight; you've always been that way, haven't you, Mimi?"

Much to Lilymon's annoyance, the Sin went on chiding the human; "You know, you were never really worthy of becoming a Digi-Destined. You're far more concerned with shopping, and flirting with boys, and all other kinds of teen problems. Gaiamon was wrong to make you one of the warriors; you don't have any fight in you?"

The human was still frozen, so the Sin went on, "Admit it. You're not fit for this destiny. You might as well go home, before I finish you off!"

"That's enough!!" shouted the nearly strangled Lilymon, as she used what was left of her strength to resist getting choked in Envymon's grip. "Mimi," she pleaded, "don't listen to her! She's just trying to trick you into running away! …Come on, I know you better than anybody. You ARE a warrior; you just have to believe in yours—AUGH!"

Envymon's grip was tightening, and it came to the point where Lilymon couldn't speak anymore. "NO!" gasped the human; she fought back tears as she screamed to the giant snake, "Leave her alone!"

Envymon wasn't going to listen to her, but someone was about to turn the tide. Veedramon, still enthralled with a high level of experience, found the strength to lift Blossomon over his head, and tossed her to Envymon's center head.

She didn't see it coming, so Envymon took the full hit; "AUGH!" she roared in frustration. This led up to the loss of her grip on Lilymon; once freed, Lilymon was weakened enough to di-digivolve back into her In-Training form...

"Tanemon," gasped Mimi, as she ran to her little friend's side. She picked up the little digimon in her arms like she was a toy and started cuddling her. With tears now streaming down her face, Mimi started to sob, "…I'm sorry… I never wanted this to happen. I wanted to stop her… Tanemon?" "Uhh," cooed the weakened digimon; her eyes fluttered open, and when she looked into the glossy eyes of her human partner, she smiled, "Mimi…"

Mimi paused to see that Veedramon was keeping Envymon busy at the moment, so she then turned back to her partner and frowned, "We've gotta get out of here, now." "But we can't," disagreed Tanemon in a weak voice; "We've gotta finish what we started. We gotta destroy her Power Spine, before..." The weakened trainee then had to take a breath.

Mimi shook her head in disbelief, "I can't do it… I'm not strong enough. I… I don't-" "I… believe in you," murmured Tanemon. Surprised by this comment, Mimi let out a small gasp. Again, the little trainee smiled, "You've got me now; our bond is strong enough to beat Envymon. I know it is… You just gotta believe it too…"

What other choice did she have? Mimi knew that if she tried to run for it, Envymon would soon find and attack them anyway. And aside from that, Veedramon was now getting pummeled by the giant Sin. Mimi took a moment to breathe, and then after looking deeply into her partner's beady eyes, she slowly started to nod, "…You're right… We've got to try."

While Envymon was enjoying watching Veedramon squirm in her grip, Mimi placed Tanemon on her shoulder and coaxed her to hold on tight. Then, just as they caught the attention of Envymon, Mimi began to evolve.

(Begin original song "No Way Out." Think of it's overall rhythm- and mostly its chorus- to be reminiscent of Gravity Kills' "Enough")

------------ Vision: Digi-Volution: Battle Gear ------------

(As the others have in the past, Mimi's crest opens up a portal of light green data. She jumps through, passes through an image of Rosemon, and lets the image transform into her new outfit. When finished, she "lands" and strikes a pose.)

"Mimi Tachikawa, Battle Gar Digivolve, based on….. ROSEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"Oh no, you don't!" hissed the giant snake; she launched at the heroes like lightning, but Mimi proved to be too fast for her. With Tanemon safely attached to her shoulder line, Mimi ran up and down Envymon's coiled body, and each time the Sin attacked with her spray of fangs, she countered them with an equally sharp launch of "Razor Petals."

I should have known this would be 

_Unlike anything I've seen before_

_Too late now; can't go back_

_Now I'm running and I'm hiding_

_I'd like to go back, to where I started_

_That's when I learn…_

_(There's no way out) I cannot take this_

_(There's no way out) There's just no end in sight_

_(There's no way out) I'd take this better, but in fact_

_There's no way out!_

In her battle gear, Mimi was more acrobatic than a cat could ever wish to be. She jumped over and across Envymon's snaky form like a flea on a dog.

Over and over again, the multi-headed beast launched her fangs at her enemy, but Mimi was ready with both rose petals as sharp as knives, and a vine-like whip that could just about scrape the snake's iron scales. The more Mimi escaped her attacks, the more frustrated Envymon became.

_No, this is wrong; I'm not who_

_Should be running to the exit door_

_But I can't stop myself_

_There's just too much doubt inside me_

_Why'd they choose me if I'm so disheartened?_

_I should have known…_

_(There's no way out) I cannot take this_

_(There's no way out) There's just no end in sight_

_(There's no way out) I'd take this better, but in fact_

_(There's no way out) I'm feeling desperate_

_(There's no way out) No choice left but to fight_

_(There's no way out) There's no point left in turning back;_

_There's no way out!_

Their scuffle led to Mimi scaling all the way to the top of Envymon's Power Spine. There, she could see just how far the darkness had crept across the land.

Horrified, she gasped to Tanemon, "We have to stop this… But how do we reverse the Power Spine's effect without breaking it?" Tanemon thought fast and replied, "We should get it from the inside!"

Mimi took her advice, and entered the Spine through the nearest entrance.

Envymon saw this and gasped in shock, "…No! I can't let them do this!" With that, she reverted back into her shadowy form- it was much smaller than her true physical form, but it was enough to course through the tower's halls like the wind.

(The song continues)

Mimi and Tanemon made it to the center of the tower before Envymon, but they knew they had to act fast. Frantic, Mimi looked around and wondered, "Okay… Here we are. Now what do we do?" "Mimi," muttered the trainee, as she pointed to the great data stream that whirled around the center of the room.

Mimi looked at it as well, and could see the direction in which the stream was flowing: upward.

_I came back to finish what I've started_

_Now I have learned…_

Then, as if something in her heart was pointing to it, Mimi reached for her battle crest. She noticed that the symbol of Sincerity itself was starting to glow. Filled with a newfound confidence, Mimi declared, "That's it! The power is in my crest-"

**WHOOSH!** –Envymon came rushing in like a dark torrent, bearing her fangs at her enemies, coaxing them to fly out of the way.

_(There's no way out) There's just no end in sight_

_(There's no way out) I'd take this better, but in fact_

_(There's no way out) I'm feeling desperate_

_(There's no way out) No choice left but to fight_

_(There's no way out) There's no point left in turning back;_

_There's no way out…_

Envymon started to chase her enemies around and around the room; soon enough they realized that there was no flooring in the center on this room, and so the heroes had the freedom to fly through all of the tower's endless floors. Upward and downward the flew, avoiding Envymon at all costs.

In her shadowy form, Envymon couldn't do much harm; however, this was her one and only chance of stopping her enemies from doing what they were sent to do. So she slashed at them desperately, while Mimi and Tanemon frantically searched for a safe spot near the data stream.

Finally, they found it; Envymon had used her snaky body to surround the heroes completely. She hissed, "You're not going anywhere… you're MINE now!!" she was just about to unleash her fangs at them, when Tanemon shouted, "This is it, Mimi! Do it now!" Quickly, Mimi reacted; "Right!"__

Mimi held out her battle crest and shouted with all her might: "SINCERITY'S LIGHT, ENERGIZE!"

A green laser beam then shot out of the battle crest, right through Envymon (who was struck most painfully), and straight on into the data stream. Almost instantly, the data stream was converted into a green tone, and started to reverse its flow.

Envymon watched in horror and aggravation, as the data dipped back into the earth's core, in the speed and flow of a waterfall.

_There's no way out_

_There's no way out!_

(Song ends)

Eventually, all of the data that was being released from the digital world's core had stopped unearthing itself. Once the effect was done, Mimi's laser beam had stopped, turning her crest back to normal.

The energy blast had not only reversed the Power Spine's effect; it had completely sealed off the burrowing hole it made. Now that it was rendered useless, the Power Spine in all its former glory was completely shut down. It was now a lifeless tower of rock. Mimi and her digimon partner, on the pother hand, never felt stronger.

Now she was back to being Lilymon; she and Mimi descended from the tower, but instead of moving away they instead began to fly above it. Draped around them was now a green halo of light; it was a sign that these two heroes had truly joined forces.

They looked down at the tower below them with their special attacks ready to be launched; "You ready?" asked Lilymon. Mimi, still in her battle gear, smiled, "Let's do it!" They then combined "Flower Cannon" with "Razor Petals," and just like that, the Power Spine was leveled down to nothing. Soon, its remaining debris of solid rock would be deleted, and was no more.

"I don't… believe it," gasped Kellen, as he and Culumon had observed these events from inside their secluded shelter. They watched their digital map, as it showed that a Power Spine had been deleted.

Awestruck, Kellen gave a smile, "Wow… By following their instincts, Mimi and Palmon found a way to disrupt the Power Spine's activity! Now all Mimi has to do is just spread the word…"

Somewhere in a dark corner, a weakened and scarred Envymon had snaked her way into a place that acted as a temporary shelter from the sunlight.

She moaned softly as she held onto her wounded chest, "…s-s-someday… Someday, you little brats.. I'll get even with you…" With that, she painfully crept deeper into the darkness.

Neither Mimi nor Palmon could explain what had happened; all they knew was that together they had completely destroyed Envymon's Power Spine. And they did it all on their own.

Light started to show in the sky again, as The Great Gardens started to slowly reclaim its once lost peacefulness and color. Digimon everywhere rejoiced, as they found their way back into the land that was once dark and forbidding.

Even Aruraumon, a former minion of Envymon, rose from her knocked-out state and looked upon the two heroes, Mimi and Pamon, with a smile. She approached them and took a bow; "I'm sorry," she apologized humbly, "I was only following Envymon's orders because of the Power Spine."

Mimi then nodded with a look of wisdom in her eyes, "I understand now. Those Power Spines aren't just there to mark the Sins' territories; they're also made to turn all digimon to their side, like the control spires of the old days used to." "Yeah," nodded her partner; "But now we know that we gotta get them from the inside." Mimi looked to her true-blue friend and smiled, "And we'll do it together."

"HYEAH!" roared a delighted Veedramon, as he plopped himself down in between Mimi and Palmon. He picked the two of them up and hugged them like they were teddy bears (and to his size, they might as well have been just that); "We all saved the day!" he rejoiced, "And I got this great new body!"

Palmon looked up at him and smiled, despite her feeling of getting squished; "So, you don't mind if we leave you here in a while?" He then put them down and showed off by bragging, "Nah! You girls go on; I got all I need right here. I mean, lookit me! I'm BUFF!" He then flexed his muscles to perhaps impress the locals, or just himself.

Mimi smiled to her partner as Veedramon did this, "So, are you ready to go? We could enjoy this place a little longer," Palmon then said, "Nah, we gotta lot to do yet. Besides, Veedramon will look after the gardens… IF he doesn't topple any trees first." The show-off gave her a coy smile, "Aww, so you do believe I could do it!" Palmon just giggled, "Just make sure you don't knock everything down."

Shortly after that, Mimi and Palmon were to say their goodbyes to their new ally, and move on toward Oceanamon's realm.

This day was especially important to Mimi; not only did she find a way to delete a Power Spine, but she also realized that she had the strength to face her fears and decide for herself what was more important in life- getting what she wanted, or saving the digital world.

Now she knew for sure why Gaiamon had chosen her to be a warrior: she knew that Mimi made the right decisions.

TO BE CONTINUED 


	18. From Hero To Zero

_"Our group found its way into a paradise called The Great Gardens; Palmon and I decided to check it out while Cody and Armadillomon went on. When I got lost, I thought I met up with Palmon again, but it turned out to be a minion of the evil Envymon. Palmon thought she had run into Davis's Veemon, but then he digivolved to Veedramon. Long story short, we all teamed up and found a way to shut down Envymon's Power Spine! I can't wait to tell the others."_

-Mimi

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Eighteen: "From Hero To Zero"**

Kellen called it Limbo; anyone else would call it the other side of reality, or even The Twilight Zone. Whatever it was, it was there, and that's where Gennai and Daru- two preservers of the digital world- conducted their battle.

Each was armed with a sword that was made entirely of magical data; Gennai's was glowing white while Daru's was glowing blue.

They chased each other through a gravity-free atmosphere that was mostly dark, but had shown occasional bitmaps of computer codes in ones and zeros. They also raced past strange whirlpools of data streams that could have gone on forever, which represented their own pathway to an alter reality.

If Gennai and Daru were to pass through one, they could be considered gone- on their way to the next realm. But they couldn't risk it; this was a personal match that had to be settled once and for all.

Their swords clashed like lightning bolts, causing some of their power to ricochet off each other; this was risky, for any damage they could have made to the portal gates could have effected those realities in a tragic way.

The two young men were so focused in their battle, that neither of them noticed the strangest phenomenon going on miles below them. It looked like a white hole; a gravitational portal that somehow drew all of the reality gates together, like planets revolving around a sun.

But the duel was paused at one point; Gennai paused to notice yet another strange occurrence going on. Two reality gates, both represented as infinite whirlpools of data streams, were moving dangerously close together.

One of them seemed to be the largest gate of all, like the ultimate gate or something. The one being drawn closest to it was smaller, but just as beautiful to the eyes. Gennai watched closely as ever so gracefully, the two whirlpools collided, and became one.

"…A dimension rift," he muttered in observance. He was right; those two gates now became one gate to a world that would become even bigger than before. Never before had Gennai witnessed such a beautiful sight, but it was soon interrupted by a charge from his evil counterpart, Daru.

He came from the left, and shoved Gennai far away from the giant dimension gate, causing the battle to resume once again.

It seemed as though like the length of these dimension gates, this battle could have gone on forever.

Envymon had finally found her way back home to her realm of darkness, but it was a long and difficult journey. She was still badly wounded from Mimi's Sincerity data stream that blasted its way through the Sin's body; it was her own fault of course, she deliberately tried to block Mimi from reversing the flow of the core data. But oh, how she wanted revenge; it ached inside her, almost as painfully as the sting in her chest.

But then, after pulling herself into the main hall of her Master's fortress, she collapsed. She nearly passed out, when she heard the peaceful sound of a familiar voice; "Sister!" It was Greedmon, another Sin who, like her, assumed the form of a serpent.

In his own shadow form, he crawled out of the darkness and scooped up Envymon in his arms. "…What happened to you?" he asked in a surprisingly friendly tone. Envymon moaned, "Uhh… That Mimi brat… Sh-she did this to me…"

Pain-stricken, Envymon clasped onto her chest, which Greedmon could see it had a visible scar. His green eyes narrowed, "Those little punks… They'll pay for this, mark my words." His "sister," as he so affectionately called her, added weakly, "I… I tried to… weaken her spirit… I underestimated her."

Greedmon then nodded, "It's alright. I've already picked out another weakling- the weakest of the pack, in fact. …I'll use him to get back at that little… _Mimi _brat."

This seemed to have comforted Envymon; she knew she could count on her brother to even the score. So she smiled and let him carry her to a place where she could rest.

There was, in fact, a weak-spirited member of the Digi-Destined, and it was Joe. He was the oldest of the humans, and well on his way to becoming a successful doctor in the months to come. But something was eating him, ever since he was called to duty in the digital world, and he didn't realize just how deeply it was affecting him.

But somehow, Greedmon knew, and he was about to take advantage of it.

That afternoon started out peacefully; Joe watched on the beach as Gommamon played with a few crustacean digimon in the water; there was even a friendly Ebidramon who allowed the little Rookies to jump off from his tail into the water, in a contest to see which of them could make the most creative dive, or the biggest splash.

Nearby, on a pier, sat Izzy and Tentomon; Tentomon watched curiously as Izzy, like always, buried his thoughts into his computer laptop. Connected to it was his digivice; he was downloading something off his computer.

"Izzy," buzzed Tentomon, "why do you always have to be uploading or downloading or side-loading from your computer? It's a beautiful day; let's go have some fun." His human partner, while his eyes were glued to his computer screen, gave a smile, "I'm sorry, Tentomon; if you wanna go play with the others, then be my guest."

The little insect replied, "Actually, I was asking on your behalf. As much as I usually enjoy watching you act inquisitive, you just don't seem like you're having fun around here." Izzy disagreed, "Believe it or not, Tentomon, I have much more fun when I'm on my computer. Call it a hobby, or something."

"It seems to me there's a very fine line between hobbies and obsessions," sighed the little insect.

And that's when Tentomon finally noticed what Izzy had been downloading from his computer onto his digivice: a virtual map of the digital world. Tentomon then had to ask, "Uh, Izzy? Why are you downloading the virtual map?" Izzy replied, "Oh, I'm making copies of the map and then I'm going to send them out to everybody's digivices. This way everybody will know where they're going, and no one will get lost." "Oh, wow! You're so smart, Izzy," Tentomon complimented. Izzy blushed, "Aw, stop…"

Then Izzy took a longer look at the virtual map, and muttered, "Interesting…" He then brushed the keypad of his computer to look up a copy of the earliest virtual map of the digital world that he had. He thought aloud, "I know that time moves slowly in the digital world, but how slowly I wasn't sure…

"Look at this, Tentomon; comparing the two maps of the digital world, you can see that the land is now merging into a Pangea."

"Pan-whata?"

"Pangea; one mega continent. In evolution, it takes about fifty million years for sea levels to rise and fall in certain areas, and that's what makes the continents look the way they do. Now, from what I understand, it takes three to four years for the digital world's gravitational pull to collide with Earth; that would explain why we keep getting sent back here every three to four years."

"I guess…"

"But according to these maps, the digital world seems to be spinning at a pace far beyond what I first anticipated. Either it's getting faster by the minute… or maybe the Keepers are doing this on purpose."

Tentomon scratched his head, "I'm sorry, Izzy; I wish I was as smart as you. I don't think I followed all of that." "It's okay," Izzy smiled; "Most people can't keep up with me…

"But I was just going over in my head what Gaiamon had said the other night, when we first got our battle gear. She tried to explain why we had to have our Crests upgraded.

"I'm guessing that she and her sisters are purposely speeding up evolutionary time in this world, just so that our evolutions could be at their strongest. That explains why all of you could all become Megas now, and why the guys and I can become warriors…"

Izzy then leaned back and scratched his chin as he muttered, "But that still doesn't explain why Primary Village is missing." This was quickly becoming a concern to the young man; he thought, "_Primary Village is the one place where digimon could be reborn… If we can't find it, then what'll happen to our digimon if they…"_ He couldn't bear to finish that thought.

He didn't have to; a sudden change in the virtual map was showing itself on Izzy's laptop. He gasped, "Wah! Something's happening!" "What? What??" Tentomon buzzed, as he fluttered around Izzy frantically. The two of them witnesses the icon of a tall tower on a spot on the map, which was, ironically, near their spot. The icon was blinking, and showing signs that the area around it was changing in color.

Izzy blinked, "It must be one of those Power Spines."

Tentomon gulped, "W-what are those?" Izzy replied, "I got a message from Davis earlier this morning; he said that they found a dark tower in a desert that turned everything dark. This one's near us, and it looks like it's been activated." Tentomon nodded, "I see, so we've gotta go check it out, right?" "Right," Izzy nodded back.

Izzy then waved to his nearby friends, "Hey, Joe! Gommamon! We've got work to do!" Gommamon popped his little head out of the water long enough to hear this, and he gasped, "Okay!" He then said his goodbyes to his new aquatic friends, and beached himself as quickly as possible.

Joe was already getting up and brushing the sand off his pants by the time Gommamon reached him; "Come on, Joe!" cheered the little seal; "I can't wait to digivolve to Mega again." His friend smiled to him, "I'm glad you're ready for the challenge." He ended it at that, and soon afterwards the four heroes took off to the East, in the direction of Coral Town.

Meanwhile, in the deepest depths of the ocean, Greedmon was already assembling his army of aquatic behemoths. "Go, my minions!" his voice growled, "Go and find Sea City, and tear it apart! Leave none alive…"

As if they were entranced by a spell, powerhouses like Gesomon, MegaSeadramon, Ebidramon, and many more, obeyed the Sin's command. They knew better than anyone the way to Sea City, and they headed straight for it.

Sea City; like Gaiamon's Great Gardens, this was the newest edition to Oceanamon's realm, where all digimon who were welcome could all enjoy a life of peace and luxury. And the Keeper of the Seas made extra sure that it would be untouched by outsiders, by making it completely underwater.

Yes, Sea City was just like that of a modern Atlantis… only it was shielded by a glass orb that helped keep in breathable air.

Oceanamon herself, in her mermaid form, had been guarding it personally by swimming around it for miles at a time. It wouldn't belong before she would be greeted by a Whamon, which was carrying precious cargo in its mouth. She gave him the "OK," and off it went to the base portal of the city.

Inside the base of the city was a drop-off terminal, like a subway station only there was a great lake instead of railroad tracks. Emerging from the lake was Whamon, and once beached, it opened its mouth to let out all of its passengers.

Two of these passengers were Cody and Armadillomon, who discovered the city thanks in large part to helpful digimon that they had met on their way from The Great Gardens.

Once they had surfaced to the mail level of Sea City, the two travelers were breath-taken by its beauty. This city was the largest that they had yet seen, but it didn't take the travelers long to discover something interesting.

It was in a special gym, near a food court, in which experienced digimon could duel each other in hopes to become stronger, faster and more agile. Armadillomon practically dragged Cody here, to see if he could upgrade his own skills.

Armadillomon never felt more eager to exercise; it scared Cody a little, knowing that despite his digimon's hard shell, he could get hurt by even a low-level Champion.

"I wanna test out my skills as a fighter," bragged the twang-talking armadillo. "Just be careful," warned his human partner; "I don't wanna see you get hurt." Armadillomon smiled; "Relax, Cody; what could possibly happen here?"

And that's when they heard a series of sounds: the **FLOP!** of someone big crashing onto a wrestling mat, a **DING-DING-DING!** of a bell, and a loud roar of cheers. Curiously, Cody and Armadillomon ventured towards what was obviously a wrestling corner. There, to their amazement, they saw a Triceramon being picked up off the wrestling mat. Triceramon were big, and heavy; whoever threw him down must have been tremendous! …Or so Cody and his digimon thought.

That's when they hears the referee, an Andromon, announce, "Winner, and still champion of the Digimon Wrestling League, Veedramon Zero!"

"Veedramon?" blinked Cody and Armadillomon in unison. Indeed, the great Triceramon was beaten by a digimon half its size; a Veedramon, who at first glance looked like he had gone beyond his expiration date. While most Veedramon were pudgy in the middle, it was really made up of sheer bulk.

Not this one; it looked as flabby and flexible as the belly of a forty-something bar hopper. And his face donned a criss-cross scar that hung over his left eye; he could still see through it, but how well remained a mystery. There were some other scars on his body, but the one on his face seemed to be the deepest and most prominent.

It seemed that this digimon had seen one battle too many, yet here he was, standing in victory over a mega-ton Triceramon. Cody and Armadillomon were floored with shock.

As the old-looking Champion graced the wrestling square with his highly-coveted belt, he started to chide the audience, "Come on; is this a day camp or a gym!? Where are all the STRONG digimon out there? …Alright! I will challenge anybody who thinks they can take me. Right now! Come on, let's go."

He kept on begging for a new challenger, but no one seemed to want to give it a try. But then, a little yellow armadillo started to crawl up the ropes of the wrestling mat. "Armadillomon!" Cody snapped as he grabbed his partner's tail; "What are you doing!?" The little Rookie smiled, "I wanna challenge him."

Still blasted by the fact that this overweight beast floored a Triceramon, Cody gasped, "No, you don't! You don't know how strong he is." The little digimon argued calmly, "Now, calm down Cody. I just wanna see if I can take him… Come on, one match. It's all I ask."

Cody could see in his partner's eyes that he was ready for a challenge, so he finally gave in; "Alright," he said, "one match… But please be careful." "Don't worry," Armadillomon replied, and into the fray he went.

Upon seeing his new challenger, Veedramon Zero smiled, "Well! What have we here, a little baby?" Perhaps he was joking, or accidentally overlooked his challenge, but Zero then went on to ask, "Hey, who left their baby on the mat? Somebody come pick him up, before he gets hurt!" Armadillomon took it as an insult and narrowed his eyes; "I'm no baby, I'm your new challenger. Name's Armadillomon."

Zero then started to laugh, "And I'm Zero… But I got a feeling that in about five seconds, we're gonna have to switch names."

**DING! **–The bell was rung, and the digimon that sounded it ran for cover immediately afterwards.

"ARMADILLOMON, DIGIVOLVE TO….. ANKYLOMON!"

Zero smiled, "Well, that's more like it!" "I'm glad you're impressed," smiled the challenger, but Zero replied, "You haven't impressed my yet, newbie!" and with that, he charged.

They slammed into each other like sumo wrestlers, grabbing each other's claws and pushing and shoving until one of them made a new move. And Ankylomon did just that with, "TAIL HAMMER!" This attack from behind would have clobbered Zero, had he not jumped out of the way in time. Cody gasped in awe, seeing just so fast Zero moved.

Ankylomon tried it again, "TAIL HAMMER!" but this one was actually caught by Zero, and with his left claw only. He then made a quick jab at Ankylomon's face, but since he was four-legged, he dodged the jab by throwing himself back on all fours.

This dodging of attacks went on for a while, and Cody was softly cheering all the way, but then Zero discovered the dinosaur's weakness: his belly. He waited until Ankylomon tried out his "Tail Hammer" attack again, and when he did, not only did Zero catch it, but this time he held onto it, and with his mighty strength he used Ankylomon's tail as a pan handle and twisted him clear on his back.

"Oh no!" gasped Cody; he watched in shock as his partner was quickly being caught in a headlock. Slowly, Ankylomon was losing oxygen; Cody finally leaned up in his corner like a coach and screamed, "Ankylomon! Get up!!"

This voice sent a chilling vibe into Zero's ear and through his brain; he knew the voice of a human when he heard it. Stunned, he stopped moving altogether, and with big puppy dog eyes, he looked through the audience, wondering where that voice came from. He was completely distracted by the surge of images from his past, about his original human partner, floating in his mind.

Then-

**WHAM!**

Ankylomon took him completely by surprise, throwing himself and Zero onto the mat's floor. The audience was astonished by this play; this was the one and only time anyone had gotten Zero knocked onto the floor; they roared in jubilation for Ankylomon. Then the dinosaur took in his second wind and pinned the Veedramon.

Andromon, the referee, came over and started counting: "One… Two… Three…" But as he continued to count to ten, Ankylomon noticed the dazed look in Zero's eyes; he was out cold. The yellow dinosaur had suddenly felt pity; he wanted to win, but he never meant to knock this guy out, and not when the big lug didn't see it coming. He thought himself a cheater and felt dishonored, so right before the ref said "Ten," Ankylomon released Zero and announced humbly, "I quit."

The audience howled in an appalled tone; "You… what?" gasped the Andromon ref. Ankylomon explained, "I call this a draw; I wouldn't have won if he was distracted… Whaddya say, ref?" The Andromon was puzzled, but then he agreed with the dinosaur, "Alright, this match is a draw."

The audience didn't seem too happy with this, as they started booing and hissing at whom they wanted to see win. Ankylomon wasn't flinched by the heckling, and so he and Cody both helped Zero to sit up. The big Veedramon started coughing his way back to consciousness.

When he finally came to, he looked around in a stunned attitude, and then he found himself staring into the dark eyes of a young boy. His heart stopped; "…Ta- ….Ta- …chi?"

The little boy blinked, "…What did you say?"

The Veedramon then shook his head, feeling one-hundred percent better, and gasped, "Oh! …You're a human!" Cody smiled, "Yes, I'm human. My name is Cody, and this is my digimon partner, Ankylomon. We're Digi-Destined." Puzzled, Zero blinked, "Digi- …Destined?" "Yes," nodded the young boy.

Then Ankylomon smiled to his dueling opponent, "Hey, I'm sorry I hurt you back there. I guess I wanted to win so bad, I was willing to make it an unfair fight." Then Zero shook his head, "No… No, you did the right thing… It was my fault. I let…"

He then looked back to Cody with a look of nostalgia in his eyes; "I let it get in the way…" He didn't speak another word; with a heavy heart, the reigning champion wrestler descended from the mat, and into the crowd of various digimon.

All the while, Cody and Ankylomon watched, awestruck.

Izzy had come to Coral Town by means of Kabuterrimon, the Champion form of Tentomon. Joe soon followed by being carried by the fast-swimming Ikkakumon, the Champion form of Gommamon.

What they saw upon their arrival was shocking; darkness everywhere, and all of the digimon that lived in the town were now rioting in the streets like mad. Izzy and Kabuterrimon observed the chaos from the sky; "…What is going on here?" blurted the giant insect; "What's gotten into all these digimon?" Izzy looked up, and saw the dark tower for himself; he narrowed his eyes, "It's the Power Spine. It's bringing out the dark side of everyone."

"It won't effect us, will it?" asked Kabuterrimon. Izzy replied, "I'm not sure… But I don't want to find out. Let's go!" As he said this, he held out his battle crest.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

(As before, Izzy goes through a similar battle gear evolving, but his data stream is purple to match his Crest of Knowledge's shade, and he passes through an image of Mega Kabuterrimon.)

"Koushiro Izumi, Battle Gear Digivolve, based on….. MEGA KABUTERRIMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

There they stood side by side, the giant Champion, and his armor-suited partner. They still weren't sure what they had to do, for Davis's message they had received that morning seemed vague. But then Izzy had a plan; "First, let's get these digimon out of here, before they go even crazier." "Right," nodded Kabuterrimon.

Very carefully, they tried to break up all of the fights between the various digimon that were fighting over stolen goods, or territory invasions, and other petty disputes. "It's okay, calm down," repeated Kabuterrimon to any who seemed to be listening. But none of the coaxing provided by the heroes was enough to appease the masses, so they had no choice but to carry them away, whether they wanted to or not.

And many of them did not want to move at all; "Lemmie go! Let GO!" they would shout, as Izzy or Kabuterrimon would try to scoop them into their arms. The mad-driven digimon would struggle and bite them, and then it just became too much for them to handle.

"KABUTERRIMON, DIGIVOLVE TO…. MEGA KABUTERRIMON!"

Now Izzy's digimon partner was bigger, and stronger. He cleverly placed as many small digimon as he could onto the interior of his shell, and then he would make a run for it.

Izzy, meanwhile, had no choice but to drive the digimon away by means of waving his new weapon, the electric staff, at them. He even commented at one point, "Teddy Roosevelt was right; 'Speak softly, and carry a big stick!'"

All of this seemed to be going well… but there was something missing. Actually, two were missing.

Joe decided to get a better look at the strange Power Spine that had shown up in Coral Town; Ikkakumon beached himself on shore, then di-digivolved back to Gommamon. The little seal looked up at his partner and asked, "Joe, why are we here? We should be helping Izzy and Kabuterrimon." But Joe couldn't take his eyes off the Power Spine; "They'll be fine," he replied; "I just wanna get a closer look at this tower."

Gommamon drooped his ears in concern; "I don't like it one bit. It kinda scares me." "It scares me too," Joe admitted, "but we can't just sit here and wait for it to go away. I wanna see what it does." Joe started walking, but then Gommamon tried to stop him by saying, "Wait, Joe! W-we should wait until Izzy gets more info from Davis."

Joe did stop, but he didn't turn around to his friend. He couldn't move at all, because something in his heart kept daring him to press on. He just said, "…I can't wait that long…" Then he found the strength to take another step, and before he knew it, he was off.

Gommamon grew all the more concerned; he knew that Joe knew better than to leap before looking. Still, he couldn't abandon him; "…J-Joe? Wait! Wait for me!" With that, the little white seal hopped along to catch up with Joe.

About that same time, Cody and Armadillomon had accidentally discovered one of Veedramon Zero's favorite hangout places; they found him in a small diner where he could sit in a dark corner, unnoticed by anyone else, except them.

Cody approached him first, just as the big blue and white dragon-like Champion was beginning to sip his drink; "Excuse me?" he peeped. Taken only slightly by surprise, Zero lifted his beak from his cup, showing a little milk-like substance by his lips; "Oh," he gulped; "…It's you again."

"We're not disturbing you, are we?" Cody frowned; "we" indicated himself and the shy little digimon behind him. Zero looked at the two of them individually, and smiled, "No, you're not… What's your name again?" "Cody," replied the young boy. "Have a seat," invited Zero, motioning towards the empty chair opposite of his.

Cody politely took the seat, and placed Armadillomon on his lap. Zero paused to see the young boy and the little Rookie together, and he smiled; "…I thought children stopped coming to the digital world long ago... Like it was a fad, or something."

Cody bowed his head and asked, "I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Zero, but when you met us the first time, you acted as though you knew a Digi-Destined from before." Zero shook his head, "They didn't call 'em Digi-Destined back then; no, they were V-Tamers."

"V-Tamers?"

"It's kinda a long story… But yes, I've met a human before… A couple, in fact. Nice kids; kinda hard in the head, but so was I. …Heh-heh, those were the days."

"How long ago, exactly, sir?"

"Let's see… Feels like an age, but it couldn't have been any longer than… twenty, thirty years?"

Cody wasn't exactly sure what to say at this point; this digimon was clearly showing age, but if there truly were human "Tamers" in the past, surely someone would have told him about them.

"Mister-"

"Zero. Please call me Zero."

"Alright, Zero… So, you had a human partner too, huh?"

Zero's eyes started to glisten as if his youth was suddenly renewed, "Oh, he was the best. He was about eight, ten years old. We had to collect five tags, they called 'em; it unlocked a secret domain that only the most powerful digimon could live in. Me and my buddy, we- heh-heh! –we used to do these warm-ups, and kept saying, 'We're gonna make this one-hundred percent!' That was our little motto; 'One-hundred percent.'"

"Oh… Sounds interesting."

Armadillomon smiled, "I could tell by your fighting that you were experienced; you could probably digivolve to Ultimate without even needing a crest!" Zero just stared blankly at the little Rookie for a moment, but then he blinked, "Well, I can go on all day about how strong I was, or used to be, but I'm just curious… What's a cute little boy and a pint-sized Rookie doin' in this place?"

Cody explained, "We're on a mission to help the Digital Keepers." Zero blinked, "…The who?" Cody frowned, "You never heard of them? They're like, the creators of this place." Zero just scratched his head, "I've heard of a god creating the digital world, but… How many are there?"

"Four."

"Four!?"

"Yeah…"

Zero then sighed deeply; "Much has changed…" Cody was hesitant at first, but then he said, "Don't mind me asking, Zero, but I'd like to know more about your adventures."

He was flattered by the comment, but Zero frowned, "Well, it's… been so long, I hardly remember it all… Let's see… I remember my biggest opponent being Demon. He was this big, dark, scary looking guy."

"Demon…? You don't mean… Daemon?"

"Eh, maybe that's his name…"

Now the conversation was getting interesting; "_Could this digimon have battled the Keeper of Darkness?" _Cody thought to himself. Then, he decided to ask the big question: "Your human partner… What was his name?" Zero smiled, "Ahh, I'll never forget him; he was such a sweet, decent boy. He was like my soul mate in a lot of ways… His name was… Yagami. Taichi Yagami."

The room, it seemed, fell silent. That name sounded so much like Tai's that it wasn't in the least funny. And there was no way on Earth that Tai could have been alive thirty years in the past, unless by some quantum leap in time, but how would that be possible?

These thoughts started to haunt Cody's mind, as Zero finished up his drink. He then stood up and rubbed his belly, "Ahh, that was a nice lunch. Now if you kids'll excuse me, I've got a lot of working out to do. I gotta keep up my reputation n' all. Nice meeting you." He extended his claw, which Armadillomon accepted with, "Much obliged."

As Zero made his way out of the diner, Cody looked down to Armadillomon and said, "Armadillomon… You don't think he knows Tai, do you?" "Our Tai?" blinked the little Rookie. "Yeah?" replied Cody; "It just seemed strange, how his former partner has almost the exact same name."

Armadillomon shrugged, "Maybe it's just coincidence." "_Coincidence. Right,_" Cody though; "_Was it coincidence that brought all of us here in the first place?_"

He had to drop his thoughts for a moment, to hear the distress beeping coming from his D-3. Immediately, he picked it up and gasped, "My D-3… Someone needs our help, Armadillomon! Let's go!"

Cody launched to his feet, as did his partner, but then they both turned back to Zero, who seemed perplexed at their sudden change in attitude. "Sorry, Zero," Cody frowned, "but we-" "I know, you have to go," said the Veedramon. He added, "It's alright, Cody, You and your digimon go do what you need to."

Once Cody knew that they understood each other, he gave Zero a nod, and led Armadillomon out of the diner.

Zero looked on, with a gleam of curiosity in his eyes.

"Please get here fast, guys!" muttered Izzy, as he and his partner were being overwhelmed with more and more raging mad digimon in Coral Town.

Mega Kabuterrimon had dropped off as many digimon he could at a time to the nearest Trailmon station. There, they would be picked up by a train-like digimon called Trailmon, and taken as far away from the corruptive Power Spine as possible.

When he zipped back to the town's center, where Izzy was, Mega Kabuterrimon frowned, "It's no use, Izzy; we can't handle them all… We might have to fight them." "No," argued the human, "I can't hurt these people. They may be acting crazy, but it's only because of that dark tower." "But we don't know how to destroy it without risking destroying everything in sight," mentioned the huge red Ultimate.

And then, as if fate had guided it their way, a beeping sound came from Izzy's digivice. He picked it up, and with a gasp of relief he realized whose Crest symbol appeared on screen: "It's Mimi!"

"You guys!" came her voice from the communicator part of Izzy's digivice; "-Guys… A-e y-- --ere?" Her voice came out like static, probably from a frequency malfunction caused by the nearby Power Spine. Izzy took a breath and replied, "Mimi! …Mimi, is that you? Come in!" The young lady's voice replied, "Iz-y?"

"Yes, it's me! Where are you?"

"I have t- -ell you s-mething!"

"Speak up; I can't hear you very well…"

"The Power Spine's weakness!"

"…Yes?"

"…Is -- --- -enter o- the ---…."

"Mimi??"

"Uh, Izzy…?"

That was Mega Kabuterrimon talking; he noticed something that he felt Izzy should have seen for himself. "What?" asked the human, in reply to his partner's plea. Then he saw it for himself; coming ashore, not too far from them, was an incredible army of aquatic digimon, all controlled by Greedmon. Izzy saw this and gulped, "…Oh… great…"

Gommamon had a bad feeling in his tiny belly ever since he and Joe entered the darkest part of the small town. There seemed to be no clouds in the sky, and yet there was no sunlight; it seemed summery before, and now a wintry chill filled the air. And the freakiest part of all was that Joe didn't seem to notice, or care.

They approached the tall tower carefully, and observed its strange activities. On each of its four sides were blue-glowing markings of an ancient language, and on the very top was an open hole through which pure data that was drilled from the world's core was pouring out.

Upon seeing this close up, Gommamon gulped, "Mmm… Maybe we should go back, Joe, and uh… wait for the others?" Without looking back at Gommamon, Joe replied, "I've just got a feeling about this place, Gomammon; I have to check it out. Reluctantly, Gommamon followed him.

Unbeknownst to the little seal, a voice was being heard in Joe's head; he didn't seem to be freaked out by it, and that was because it came to him through the influential power of Greedmon.

It said, _"Here lies your destiny, Joe Kido. All your life, you wanted to be your own man, a man with control in his life. Well, this is it; this is where you will receive your power. And no one will take it from you."_

Joe seemed to listen to this voice, but that was because it was slowly hypnotizing him. That explained why he couldn't resist it, and why he was suddenly acting out of character. Perhaps if Gommamon heard it too, he would have made his friend stop and turn back. But there was no going back now.

Greedmon's influence had finally led Joe to the Power Spine- this was Slothmon's Power Spine, and since he was too lazy to control it himself, Greedmon took this opportunity to control it himself.

Joe stopped himself just a few inches from the nearest tower wall, as Gommamon started shaking with fear; "…O-okay, here it is. Here's that nasty dark tower… Now can we please get out of here?" "No," Joe replied softly yet darkly; "…I'm supposed to be here." As he said this, he stared blankly at the markings on the tower's wall with hazy eyes.

Gommamon, not noticing this change, took a few steps back as Joe moved a little closer to the wall. He reached out his hand, and touched it.

Instantly, a wave of dark energy shot out of the wall like a gust of wind, and whirled all around the human and the digimon. Gommamon screamed and tried to hide his head underneath his flippers, but Joe stood there calmly. He didn't know it, but this was Greedmon's strategy all along, to unleash some of the dark energy of the tower and let it find it way into Joe's mind and heart. This would corrupt him for sure, so Greedmon planned.

When the gust had vanished, he released his hand from the wall, turned to his little partner, and smiled, "Heh… That was cool." The panic-stricken little digimon blinked, "Let's get outta here, Joe! I don't like this one-"

He was interrupted by a set of roars and growls several miles off. The two of them looked in surprise, as a swarm of evil-looking aquatic beasts made their way to shore. Joe's eyes narrowed at them, "It's an army of corrupted sea digimon." The little seal gulped, "Oh boy; I was kinda hoping they were here to join the carnival."

Coral Town was not the only place where Greedmon's army of controlled sea beasts had arrived. Panic-stricken, the citizens of Sea City ran frantically, not knowing where to go. If they were to escape through the launch bases, they would have to get through the gripping tentacles of Gesomon and Octomon; and if they went too close to the city's protective glass barrier, they would meet up with a horde of sea dragons like Waru Seadramon.

Trapped in the base of the city, where they first came, Cody and Armadillomon were among those who tried to escape the city from below. Even as Ankylomon, Cody's partner was not fast enough to swipe at every giant tentacle that came their way.

Cody tried to make a run for it at one point, but he was soon welcomed by a Gesomon's long arm. "Cody!" roared Ankylomon, as he watched from afar, blocked off by an Octomon as Cody was suddenly captured. The young boy struggled, but couldn't escape the Gesomon's grip, and was only several feet away from being drowned…

When out of nowhere, a familiar face leaped with a roar, onto the Gesomon's arm. He sank his worn-yet-still-sharp teeth into the beast's tentacle, and the Gesomon reacted by letting the boy go. "Zero!" Cody gasped, watching this happen. Zero was quick enough to jump as Cody fell out of the Gesomon's grip; Zero caught him, and both of them dropped into the water. But thanks to Zero, they soon became afloat.

"Hurry!" Zero gasped; "Get your partner!" Cody obeyed, "Come on, Ankylomon!" The Champion dove head first into the water, and when he surfaced he had turned back into Armadillomon. Cody scooped him up into his arms, as Zero made a good grip around Cody's torso; he warned them, "Everybody hold your breath!" All three of them did just that; at once they took in a he amount of air, and then down into the water they went.

As if he hadn't impressed them before, now Zero was shocking Cody and Armadillomon with how well, and how fast he could swim. Like a butterfly underwater, he fluttered past all of the raging crustaceans, and zoomed past any sea dragon that dared to chase them.

Sea City was hidden very deep underwater, but Zero's velocity made it so that it only took the three of them a mere three minutes to reach the surface.

When they had surfaced, the three of them gasped and gargled for air desperately. Cody was the first to speak; "…Wow… I didn't know you were that good a swimmer, Zero!" The aged Veedramon smiled, "…Heh… I wasn't always so good… I had to learn from the best first."

**WHOOSH!**

Suddenly, a Mega Seadramon surfaced right behind them, making the trio scream in terror. Like a speedboat, Zero took off for the shore, which was several miles away. But thanks to his experience, he wouldn't have to get there for long… In fact, thanks to his adrenalin rush mixed with fear of the sea dragon, he was practically _running_ on the water!

From where he stood high in the air, Izzy could see the onslaught of evil sea monsters coming his way, so he begged Mimi via digivice, "Okay, just try to talk very slowly and steadily. …But try to make it fast!"

"Okay," replied Mimi's voice; "It's… basically by using… your battle crest… aim it at the data stream inside… and say, 'Knowledge's light, energize!'"

"That's it?" blinked Izzy; he could hear Mimi's voice say, "Yeah! That—what work-- -or me."

"Prodigious," grinned Izzy; "Thanks, Mimi! I gotta go try that now." And with that, he hung up the communicator's frequency and darted like a lightning bolt towards the Power Spine.

Merely two or three miles away were Joe and Gomammon, who were watching carefully the horde of sea dragons and giant crustaceans coming their way. Joe's heart was filled with a great sense of determination, the kind of determination he wasn't normally given.

As a chilling breeze brushed his hair, his eyes began to darken; he knew what he had to do to put an end to this madness, and he had to do it now. "Gommamon! Warp-digivolve into your Mega form," he commanded. The little seal turned to him with a look of curiosity; "…Joe? Are you sure-" "DO IT!" he suddenly roared.

This tone of voice was something that caught little Gommamon completely off guard, and he nearly fell flat on his back in shock. Then Gommamon collected himself, and with glossy eyes he replied, "…Okay, Joe. You don't have to yell…"

Oceanamon had waited all her life for this moment; she popped her head out of the water to get a glimpse of Gommamon digivolving into her personal favorite digimon. She saw the little seal take a swan dive into the ocean, and her heart skipped a beat as she smiled to herself, "This is it. This is what I've been wanting to see for the longest time; my favorite digimon revealed!"

…But then, Oceanamon was breath-taken, as the once little, innocent Gommamon emerged from the water as a giant, prehistoric behemoth of the deep.

Her eyes fluttered and her jaw dropped, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing; "…Plesiomon? …But, I thought… I designed another Mega form for Joe's Gommamon…"

Izzy, meanwhile, insisted that his own digimon would join in Plesiomon's battle, and so…

"MEGA KABUTERRIMON, DIGIVOLVE TO….. HERCULES KABUTERRIMON!"

Just like that, two giant Megas teamed up to fight off the oncoming corrupted monsters. As they did so, who else would show up on shore, exhausted but otherwise fine, but Veedramon Zero and his two new friends, Cody and Armadillomon! They actually caught a massive tidal wave that was inadvertently caused by the charging Mega Seadramon, and it took them far onto the beaches of Coral Town.

Once he was back on dry land, the aged Veedramon collapsed, and his young friends jumped to their feet. Cody and Armadillomon watched in awe, as they took notice of Hercules Kabuterrimon and Plesiomon at a safe distance. "…Wow," muttered the little armadillo in amazement; "Lookit 'em go."

Indeed, the giant insect took to the Mega Seadramon like a pro sumo wrestler, grabbing it by the neck and throwing it into the air as if it were a javelin, back into the deep sea.

But the battle was only beginning; what seemed like hundreds of crustaceans, fish and sea dragons were already on their way; it was, in fact, the same group that Cody and Armadillomon met with in Sea City.

As much as they wanted to join in the fight, they were pretty tuckered out, due to nearly being crushed by a Gesomon and barely taking a breath from then to where they presently were.

But it turned out that they didn't have to fight, not when Plesiomon was barely warming up.

From where he stood, atop the fallen debris of what used to be a tall building, Joe watched and coached his Mega partner. Though they were distant from each other, their minds were connected; Joe didn't even have to call out his commands in a loud tone… But for effect, he did anyway; "Plesiomon! Get underneath them and go for their bellies!"

The sea monster obeyed; he took a Seadramon by surprise by ducking into the water, and then resurfacing from underneath the enemy. The impact knocked the wind out of the sea dragon, and it was then too weak to go on.

Plesiomon had done other under-handed tricks like this, while Hercules Kabuterrimon used brute force to push back his enemies. He feared using his elemental powers, for he knew in his heart that these creatures he was fighting weren't really evil, but were enslaved by the real enemies.

…But you couldn't tell that to Plesiomon. Joe narrowed his eyes and balled his fists, as he watched in frustration the increasing numbers of charging behemoths. "Plesiomon!" shouted Joe, "Show them what you've got: unleash your Mega attack!" Plesiomon felt that he had no choice but to obey his friend, and assumed his battle stance. Surprised at this, Hercules Kabuterrimon gasped, "Are you crazy?? These digimon aren't that evil!" "You have no choice!" shouted Joe from a distance; "Release your fury, now!" At first, the dinosaur-like Mega felt reluctant, but then a dark haze filled his master's eyes; "DO IT NOW!"

In reaction to Joe's outburst, Plesiomon himself became engulfed in a rage that seemed to have come out of nowhere. He was suddenly overwhelmed with a newfound sense of power, and like his master, it seemed dark. Plesiomon then bowed his head at his on-coming enemies, then roared, "SAD WATER BLAST!!"

A massive torrent of energy, with the force of a deadly hurricane, came spitting out of the mouth of Plesiomon, drowning out almost every enemy-controlled digimon in sight. He had performed this attack once before, but this new one seemed much more powerful.

It was enough to shock even his friends, Hercules Kabuterrimon, and those who stood on the shore.

Actually, one person didn't seemed surprise; in fact, he seemed glad it happened. And that person, of course, was Joe- he was still dazed with a hunger for power, and thanks to it, Plesiomon's attack had become devastatingly deadly.

Shortly after the deadly attack had happened, Izzy had finally found his way to the Power Spine. He first had to fight off enemy-controlled ghost-type digimon like Bakemon and Phantomon, and he especially took care of them with a well-timed "Lightning Javelin," in which case his electric-powered staff became just that, a javelin appearing to be a lightning bolt.

Once inside the Spine, Izzy had become just as enlightened with instinct as Mimi had when she entered the Power Spine of Envymon. All at once, he knew just what to do; he held out his battle crest and aimed it at the whirling data stream and shouted, "KNOWLEDGE'S LIGHT, ENERGIZE!"

A purple flash surged from the crest and into the data stream; instantly, the entire stream, as well as the blue and white data codes that surrounded the inner workings of the walls, copied the same purple glow, and then the stream's flow reversed from upwards to downwards.

Just as it had happened to Envymon's Power Spine earlier that day, Slothmon's Spine was now powering down as the core data stream gravitated itself back into the center of the digital world.

As soon as all of the lights from the tower stopped glowing, killing the life force of the Spine altogether, Hercules Kabuterrimon joined his human friend. "Let's make sure this never happens again!" growled the giant beetle. "I agree," nodded Izzy.

Then the two of them combined energy attacks, and in a great blaze of thunder, the Spine was demolished, and then deleted.

Back in their secret lair, Greedmon and Envymon laughed in victory; normally, the destruction of one of their Power Spines meant defeat, but that was not the reason for their jubilation at all. "Who would have thought Slothmon's Power Spine would be so useful?" snickered a still weakened Envymon. Her darker brother sighed, "Yes; even in its earliest stage, my influence on that Joe fella has already gotten the best of him. I knew he was weak…"

Envymon, who had been resting on what looked like a comfortable couch, then said, "But that still doesn't satisfy my revenge on Mimi." "Patience, dear sister," replied Greedmon; "This is just a taste of what is to come. And if the others are just as successful in this new plan, then not only will you get your revenge, but we be rid of all of those little brats… And we won't even have to lift a finger to do it."

As the sun gently set in the ocean's horizon, Joe and Gommamon sat silently on a hill near the beach. Their thoughts seemed to be lost; Joe's, especially. It was clear that the battle had taken a lot out of Gommamon, but nobody knew just how much it had taken out of Joe.

Meanwhile, Izzy, Cody and their partners were already planning on spending the night in a hotel in town. Izzy was putting his laptop into a new backpack he had bought when he said, "Yeah, it was a really exciting fight, but we probably wouldn't have gotten through it without Mimi's advice. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed by her resilience."

Cody smiled, "I hope I get the chance to shut down a Power Spine; I wanna see what it looks like." Izzy smiled to him, "It was pretty prodigious." The younger boy raised an eyebrow, "You know, I've heard you say that about a million times, and I still don't think I know what that means."

The nearby Tentomon then replied, "I don't know what it means either, but I like the sound of it!" Izzy couldn't help but laugh, and neither could Armadillomon.

Then a thought trickled through Cody's mind; "Izzy…" he softly muttered. Izzy heard him and glanced his way; "Yes?" The younger boy replied, "Earlier today, Armadillomon and I met a digimon- a Veedramon, and… Well, it just seemed like… he knows Tai." "Tai?" Izzy blinked; "I don't remember seeing Tai with a Veedramon." Cody added, "His name was Zero, and he called his partner Taichi Yagami… And he said it's been thirty years since he's last seen him."

Izzy paused to let this all sink in, and then he came up with a theory: "Well, time does slow down in the digital world. What seems like thirty years to Zero may only be six to eight years for Taichi. But still, that is a weird coincidence…"

Cody then sighed, "I kinda wish we brought him along. I'd like to get to know him better. He seemed like he had a long story to tell." Izzy nodded, "I'm sure he does, Cody… But we can't worry about that right now…

"Let Zero go his own way; who knows? Maybe we'll see him again soon."

Zero was going his own way; miles away from the heroes already, he was following the track of a Trailmon. From there, the track would take him deep into Gaiamon's jungle realm. And from there, he would continue on a path, which he hoped would lead him to his long lost friend…

"Taichi… I know you're out there," he muttered to himself. "…I will find you, ol' buddy. I swear I will."

TO BE CONTINUED 

(References for Veedramon Zero and "V-Tamers" came exclusively from )


	19. The Sky's The Limit

_"After they've split up with Mimi and Palmon, Armadillomon and Cody went to Sea City, an Atlantis-like palace that's completely underwater. There, they met an old but still powerful Veedramon named Zero, who claims to know our buddy Tai. Meanwhile, Joe and I had our hands full with evil sea digimon controlled by Greedmon. I took care of the Power Spine that was controlling them, but not before Plesiomon had his way with them. Hmm… I wonder what's going on with him and Joe?"_

-Izzy

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Nineteen: "The Sky's The Limit"**

While the days were filled with heart-racing activity left and right, night time, the one time one would expect to see trouble, turned out to be the one moment of each day that was the most peaceful.

Wherever they were- by the beach on the edge of the continent, or atop a secluded plateau, or deep in the jungle, the Digi-Destined and their digimon partners slept through the night with a feeling of serenity they truly deserved.

…Well, almost all of them slept.

Izzy, Cody and Joe took themselves and their digimon to a motel off the beaches of Coral Town (what was left of it), and each one was given a place for the night.

While Gommamon peacefully slept, curled up by Joe's feet on his bed, Joe himself stared at the ceiling as a beam of moonlight found its way through his window. He was deep in thought, and all of his thoughts seemed to be focused on his behavior that day. Mentally, he asked himself, _"…What's happened to me back there? Where did I get that nasty attitude?"_

------------ Flashback ------------

Joe narrowed his eyes and balled his fists, as he watched in frustration the increasing numbers of charging behemoths. "Plesiomon!" shouted Joe, "Show them what you've got: unleash your Mega attack!" Plesiomon felt that he had no choice but to obey his friend, and assumed his battle stance.

Surprised at this, Hercules Kabuterrimon gasped, "Are you crazy?? These digimon aren't that evil!" "You have no choice!" shouted Joe from a distance; "Release your fury, now!"

At first, the dinosaur-like Mega felt reluctant, but then a dark haze filled his master's eyes; "DO IT NOW!" In reaction to Joe's outburst, Plesiomon himself became engulfed in a rage that seemed to have come out of nowhere. He was suddenly overwhelmed with a newfound sense of power, and like his master, it seemed dark.

Plesiomon then bowed his head at his on-coming enemies, then roared, "SAD WATER BLAST!!" A massive torrent of energy, with the force of a deadly hurricane, came spitting out of the mouth of Plesiomon, drowning out almost every enemy-controlled digimon in sight.

------------ End Flashback ------------

Joe blinked as his thoughts went on; "_I shouldn't have been so rough on Gommamon. He was only doing what I told him to do; I totally forgot that those digimon weren't really evil…"_

He then let out a sigh and glanced at where Gommamon was. He found the little seal snoring softly, and his right leg was twitching. He seemed to be just fine at that moment, so Joe relaxed himself a bit.

_"…Still,_ he thought, _I couldn't shake that need… for control."_

------------ Visions: Joe's Past ------------

In his thoughts, Joe could see himself growing up in those years after his first adventures in the digital world. He realized how quickly he went from being a scary-cat to a hopeful doctor in a matter of eight years.

_"Ever since I became a Digi-Destined, my life has changed. I used to be scared of a lot of things, especially change. I didn't think I'd end up becoming some kind of hero, with a sidekick that can turn into a giant powerhouse. But I did, and I liked it! _

_"…And then, reality came in, and made me start to think that I had to grow up and move on… _

_"So I did._

_"I started taking school and getting a license for practicing medicine more seriously. I almost became as much of an egghead as Izzy! After a while, it just seemed like I was no longer needed in the digital world… I guess that's why I started to feel like I didn't belong here all over again…"_

These thoughts led him back to that late afternoon, when he became possessed by a mysterious fit of rage. For the first time since then, he could see just how it affected Plesiomon, when he took to his special attack at full force.

_"I guess that's why I got so tense today. I needed to be in control of my life and my decisions, like I have been in the real world. But still… that doesn't excuse me for what I did to Gommamon…"_

------------ End visions ------------

_"Maybe I'll get over it soon…"_

Moments after Joe's thoughts have been collected, he started to feel his eyes get heavy at last. So he closed them, hoping that this would be the moment when he could finally join all of his friends in a state of sub-consciousness.

That same night, Yolei, Sora slept under the guarding wing of their Champion partners, Aquilamon and Birdramon. They nested atop the flat surface of a plateau, as the night sky was blanketed by dark clouds that overlooked the savanna.

While the rest of them seemed peaceful, something was bothering Sora in her dreams, and she showed it by wincing and turning slightly in her sleep.

It started when she heard her own voice say something that was very similar to what she said to Biyomon, just a few days earlier: "_Ever since we released the power of our crests years ago, we Digi-Destined kids lost a part of ourselves…"_

------------ Vision: Sora's Dream/Flashbacks ------------

Sora could see herself receiving the Crest of Love for the first time; it was a rather unexpected moment, as she was taken prisoner by a half-crazed Datamon, who wanted to use her Crest for his own selfish purposes.

Since that day, Sora became more and more open to her feelings, which helped her patch things up between her and her mother. It was about that time when she and her friends were battling an even more power-hungry digimon named Myotismon. During one of their fiercest battles with this maniac, Birdramon digivolved into Garudamon for the first time.

Sora's bond with her digimon never felt stronger, and she hoped that the same could have been said for the bond between her and her human friends.

That's when she started to look for signs of a deeper love. At first, it seemed as though Tai would be the one; he was always the bravest and one of the most dedicated of Digi-Destined. Heck, he was pretty much the ringleader of the group.

But it wasn't meant to be; in the digital world, Tai put his friends before him but in the real world he and Sora showed off their bratty sides.

The worst incident (if you could call it that) was during the time another megalomaniac digimon named Diablomon was trying to take over the Internet.

Tai and Sora had a fight, and were still embittered with each other when the evil digimon was creeping his way around the world through the World Wide Web. Had she swallowed her pride much sooner, Sora would have joined that fight.

Her time for redemption would be at hand yet, when Diablomon- then in his full evolution as Armegamon- struck again a year or two later. She, along with Kari, TK, Davis, Ken, Yolei and Cody, became the first to witness the first appearance of the supreme force and beauty of Imperial Dramon's Paladin Mode. His victory over Armegamon would not have been complete without the support of Sora and her friends.

By then, she had already started to grow feelings for Matt- another leader-like member of the Digi-Destined, and seemingly more mature than Tai.

The two of them had a lot in common; they were down to earth, focused, and serious about everything. No longer have they had the will to explore their inner child, and so they grew up before most of the others had. This was just the kind of maturity Sora was looking for in a hopeful partner for life.

But all of these trials and errors would eventually lead Sora to the biggest challenge of all, and this time, no digimon alive was there to fight or support her.

Sora was waiting backstage for him after the last curtain call on that one fateful night, at his first real concert tour. By then, the two of them made an agreement to hold off their personal goals, such as dating, so that they both could focus on their dream jobs.

But Matt's opportunity came first, and that night after the concert, it became clear that the stage married him.

He greeted her backstage with a hug and friendly words, but there was no intimate affection. And to make things even more awkward, he was already getting swamped by younger, energetic fan girls who wanted his picture and autographs. After two minutes of talking with them, Matt seemed to have completely forgotten that Sora was even there.

It got worse with time. Their dates were soon limited to once a week. They emailed each other more than they talked in person. Matt was a no show, while Sora waited for him at their usual rendezvous points.

And then, one evening, the straw broke. She was walking home from the park, where she and Matt were supposed to meet, when she caught him driving in a flashy car. At first, she figured he was with his band, and he was… What she didn't realize until she took a second look, was that they had girls with them in the car.

Two girls, in fact, sat side by side with Matt in the backseat, each one with an arm around him. As they drove away, Sora watched as her confused heart shattered into a million pieces.

------------ End Vision ------------

Sora was awakened by a harsh gust of wind, as were the rest of the group, just moments later. This was no ordinary gust, and Aquilamon was the first to notice danger in the distance: "…A tornado… And it's headed this way!"

They all gasped in shock; indeed, a tornado that seemed to have come out of the blue that stretched as far as three miles could be seen twisting and spinning its way towards the travelers. Birdramon had the right idea when she gasped, "Let's fly!" Instantly, the two Champion birds scooped up their human partners into their talons and took to the air.

To their shock, they had only been able to outrun the tornado for just a little while; it seemed to have picked up its pace and was soon on their tails at rapid speed. Desperate for more power, the Champions became Ultimate humanoid birds, and doubled their pace. But eventually, even that wasn't enough.

Yolei started to lose her grip on Silphymon's arm, and found herself getting tugged all the tighter by the wind. She started to scream in panic, as Silphymon, her angel/eagle hybrid partner, glanced her way and said, "Yolei, hang on! We're almost out of this thing!" But he was wrong; Yolei tried to stay attached to his arm, but it was no use; "Silphymon!" she shrieked; "Help me-e-e!!"

No sooner than that, the wind took her by the legs and carried her off. "YOLEI!" howled Silphymon; he slowed his pace long enough to see just where Yolei was being carried off to: right into the tornado's funnel. He screamed again, "Yolei, NO!!" and took off after her.

Meanwhile, Garudamon, an eagle-like monster with twice the talons and ten times the strength, found herself being tugged by the forceful winds as well. "Sora," she growled in frustration, "I can't… keep this up much longer. It's pulling me in!" Her hopeful partner, safely kept in the Ultimate's arms, replied loudly, "You can do it, Garudamon! Don't give up! Keep trying!!"

Try as she could, she couldn't resist the winds much longer. Soon the funnel of the cyclone was right on top of them, and before they could pause to breathe, the funnel inhaled them all.

Spinning and screaming at the same time was the last thing that the four weary travelers remember of that night…

But when dawn came, it was a completely different setting. The sun peeked through clouds that were painted in purple and pink, and the first thing Yolei could remember feeling was the softness of her pillow. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to discover that it wasn't a pillow she was sleeping on…

It was a cloud.

She gasped, "Huh??" and leaned up to observe her surroundings. She soon found out that the object that made up her bed was a cloud, that the objects surrounding it were clouds, and nearby the little pink power puff known as Poromon was bouncing up and down playfully on a cloud. Yolei paused to blink; "…What's going on? …Have I really died and gone to Heaven?" "I think we did!" smiled Poromon, as he bounced his way over to his partner.

She caught the little trainee in her arms and frowned, "This doesn't make any sense, Poromon. The last thing I remember was being sucked up by a tornado. …Unless…" "Unless what?" cooed the little trainee; Yolei looked around and blinked, "Unless, this is where the tornado took us; straight into the clouds!"

"It sure as heck did!" came a familiar voice; Yolei turned around, and there were Sora and her own little pink trainee, Yokomon. "Sora," gasped Yolei.

Sora seemed much calmer than Yolei, perhaps because she had been awake longer than she had; she smiled, "Yokomon and I went looking around for answers, and you'll never believe what we found! Come on over with us."

With that, Sora led Yolei and their digimon over to a clearing in the puffy clouds. What they saw was a grand palace, just sitting in the middle of this massive cumulus cloud; in fact, the palace itself was made up of the cloud. Yolei was breath-taken; "Wow…" she muttered.

And to further her surprise, she realized that they weren't alone; dozens of star-shaped Starmon were flying around, as if this was their home. Sora nudged Yolei and insisted, "Come on." With that, the four of them hurried down a puffy white hill and hop-footed it to the palace.

As the girls and their digimon entered the gates of Sky City, Sora, Yolei, Yokomon and Poromon were welcomed to the sight of not just Starmon, but also different kinds of angel-type digimon, like Piximon, Angemon, Angewomon, and the like. As any citizens of a city, they turned this cloud into a world of their own, where they could eat, play, and even put up shops.

Passing through all of this, the humans and their partners were all astounded. "I've never seen anything like this place," admitted Yokomon; "Yeah," added Poromon, "it's like a hidden paradise." Suddenly, the four of them were greeted by an Angewomon, who smiled at them pleasantly and said, "Welcome to Sky City! This is the home of Polarimon, and she welcomes all who are able to find it."

"Sky City?" echoed Sora; "Polarimon?" echoed Yolei.

The Angewomon nodded, "Yes. This is one of three paradises, made entirely by the Digi-Keepers. Here, Polarimon herself keeps watch over all of her selected digimon types, like us celestial beings." Yolei gasped, "Oh… So, it wasn't really an accident that we got here, was it? That tornado purposely brought us here?"

The Angewomon just smiled, "Well, it doesn't matter just how you got here, what matters is that you're here! Come, let me take you to Polarimon. I'm sure she'd like to see you." Without even considering an argument, the girls and their digimon followed the Ultimate angel toward the great cloudy palace ahead.

Up until now, Polarimon had been seen as a living constellation in the sky; but now that she had a place of her own to call home, she could assume a more human-like appearance. Sitting on a throne fit for a queen, which was guarded by a Seraphimon and Ophanimon, the starry-shining Polarimon, dressed in a flattering Ancient-Grecian gown, welcomed her chosen children as they came through the doors of her great hall.

"Ah, Sora. Yolei. And Yokomon and Poromon," she smiled; "Come in, come in. You're more than welcome here." Bashful with honor, the girls and their digimon entered the room and gazed in wonder, as it felt to them like they've stepped into the great hall of a fairy tale kingdom. "Like what I've done with the place?" smiled the Keeper of the Sky; she wasn't bashful at all. "It's beautiful," smiled Sora.

"Come closer," insisted the ten-foot-tall Keeper.

As they approached her, she said pleasantly, "Welcome to my new home." Curious, Yolei asked, "What exactly is this place? Is it a cloud, or a city?" Polarimon answered, "It is a cloud _and_ a city; it's Sky City. My sisters and I need our own special places where we could slowly reconfigure ourselves into human-like forms. This way, we'll have enough strength to undo the evil that's begun to take over this world."

Sora guessed, "So, the three of you are going to battle Daemon all by yourselves?" Polarimon replied, "Well, sort of. You see, we don't exactly 'battle' as you children have battled Daemon's minions over the years. All he wants with this world is to consume it with darkness and corruption. Once our powers are fully regenerated, we'll erase all of that from our world and send it right back to his."

"Okay. You can leave the Sin Digimon to us," said Yolei confidently, but Polarimon warned, "It won't be easy, children… I'm sorry, I keep calling you children!" The Keeper giggled, feeling silly in her error, but then Sora smiled, "Well, I don't mind being called a child. At least not by you, Polarimon." The Keeper gave her a nod, "Well, I'll always see you Digi-Destined as children.

"Even now as young adults, you have managed to maintain the innocence of your hearts. Unfortunately, the Sin Digimon are designed to take advantage of that innocence. That's why I say this won't be an easy battle. They will test your will power unlike anyone who ever has; they can see right into your deepest, darkest fears, and will use them against you… I fear that it has already begun to happen."

"What do you mean?" blinked Yolei; Polarimon explained, "Yolei, you were the first to go through such a test. Remember how Envymon tried to convince you that you lacked the potential of earning your crest? That was just a sample of what these Sins can do to you children. Some of you, I fear, will be easier targets than others."

"I think I understand now," Sora said with a bowed head; "That's why they're based on the seven deadly sins. They're not just fighters, they're tempters." "Yes," nodded Polarimon; "It's going to take a lot more than the power of your digimon to defeat them."

The tall Keeper stood up, and descended from her throne. "Come," she said, "I need to show you something…"

The humans and their digimon partners followed the giant Keeper of the Sky outside, to an open space on the massive cloud that was Sky City. Here, they could see the vast desert lands of the digital world, and in the far off distance they could see a tall, dark tower.

Polarimon pointed to it and said, "There lies your newest challenge." "What is it?" blinked Yolei; Polarimon replied, "That is a Power Spine. It's one of seven; each is controlled by a Sin Digimon. Kellen has been observing them, but he isn't fully aware of what they do. All he knows is that they are digging deep into the center of the digital world, causing the core data to spill out into the atmosphere."

"Core data?" Sora asked.

"Yes; the digital world's core is made up of pure digital data; without it, the world itself could be deleted. At first, we thought the purpose of the Power Spines was to change that data into that of a virus, which would explain why it could easily corrupt any digimon around it.

"But it's far worse than that, children. Those Power Spines do more than just corrupt digimon and decay the land; they're reaping the core of this world of its power source. Slowly, this world is being drained of its power."

Yolei gasped, "Oh! So they're actually destroying this world!" Polarimon nodded grimly, "Yes… But I don't think they mean to delete it all; my guess is that they're weakening our source of power just to weaken me and my sisters. If they're successful, then we won't me able to fully rejuvenate." Sora concluded, "And that means, you won't be able to stop Daemon from taking over."

Yolei balled a fist, "Well, that does it! We gotta shut down those Power Spines and stop those Sins from doing any more damage." Polarimon clued them in with, "The power is in your battle crests." "…These?" asked Sora as she held up her Crest of Love. "Yes," replied Polarimon.

"Your crests come with their own special data stream; it's what grants you the ability to become Battle-Gear warriors. You must use that same power to reverse the flow of the core data that's being taken by the Power Spine. Once you two find your way into that Spine, the rest will come to you."

"What does that mean?" asked Yolei; the Keeper just replied with, "You will see."

Standing atop a plateau in the red-sanded desert, Lustmon, in her true form as a lavender-skinned buxom beauty wearing black, lacy lingerie with an equally dark and lacy robe, watched carefully as Sky City's cloud headed toward her.

She was already aware that this was Polarimon's paradise, and that it was now inhabited by not one, but two Digi-Destined. But that didn't phase her at all, as she smiled with a hand to her chin while the wind picked up her long, pale blue hair.

"Hmmm," she muttered to herself as she narrowed her purple, pupil-less eyes, "company is coming. I might as well go say 'Hi.'" With that, she disappeared like a shadow in the presence of sunlight.

When it had finally reached Gluttonymon's abandoned Power Spine, Sky City came to a gentle but noticeable halt. The two young ladies, each with a digimon partner, that had accompanied the ride up until now, stood on the very edge of the aerial city as they gazed curiously at Gluttonymon's Power Spine.

Seeing that it was, indeed, still in tact and slowly reaping the desert of its life, Sora took command by saying, "There it is… Let's do it!" "Right," Yolei nodded, as she grabbed her own battle crest of Faith.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

(Sora jumps into a vortex of pink data, and passes through an image of Birdramon.)

"Sora Takenouchi, Battle-Gear Digivolve, based on….. BIRDRAMON!"

(Yolei jumps into a vortex of light blue data and passes through an image of Aquilamon.)

"Yolei Inoue, Battle-Gear digivolve, based on…… AQUILAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Likewise, their digimon improved on their cutsey looks…

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion to Ultimate -----------

"Biyomon, warp-digivolve to……. (Birdramon) …….GARUDAMON!"

"Hawkmon, warp-digivolve to…… (Aquilamon) ……SILPHYMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Four air-borne heroes swooped down from the massive cloud of Sky City to engage an attack on the dark tower, when they came to a sudden stop at the sight of something out of the ordinary. Yolei pointed to the thing she saw on the very rooftop of the Spine and gasped, "What's that?"

Sure enough, they took a better look at it; it was Lustmon, sitting pretty in waiting for their arrival. In fact, she looked bored as she filed her cat-like nails impatiently.

She looked back at them and narrowed her violet eyes, "What took you girls so long?" "You were expecting us?" Sora blinked as she boldly moved closer; Lustmon smiled, "Of course. Somebody has to guard this tower while Gluttonymon's away; why should I let you humans take all the fun out of our world conquest?"

The heroes looked confused, and Yolei asked, "Where's Gluttonymon, then? Shouldn't he be here?" Lustmon raised an eyebrow, or would have if her eyebrows were visible, "What? I'm no fun?" Short-tempered, Silphymon approached the Sin and growled, "Well if it's a fight you want, lady, then bring it on!"

Lustmon felt tickled by this challenge, and she giggled, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-heh-hee-hee… Don't you people know me by now? I'd rather make love, not war."

Garudamon was not amused, and so replied with, "You're just stalling us. Come on, Silphymon, let's take her!" "Suit yourself," yawned the bored Sin, and without even making an effort to be dramatic, she sighed, "Beasts Within The Beauty."

Once her attack was activated, Lustmon's body then became as intangible as that of a ghost's, and as if brought forth from another dimension, a series of enormous black-skeletal dragons emerged from within her. Unlike her human-like form, these monsters were very tangible, and lunged at all of the heroes hungrily.

_"Lookout!"_ hollered Sora, as two dragons came straight for her and Yolei. Soon it became a game of cat and mouse, as the heroes went this way and that way in the air to avoid getting snapped in half by the lightning-quick jaws of Lustmon's creatures.

It was when Silphymon and Garudamon tried out their special attacks on the creatures when they realized just how strong they were. Silphymon's "Static Force" and Garudamon's "Wing Blade" smacked into the bony heads and necks of the dragons, but then they just fizzled away, like they were bubbles.

"Did you see that!?," gasped Silphymon to Garudamon; "It didn't even phase them!" "Try again," commanded Garudamon, and try again they did…

Over and over again they tried, as the skeletal dragons reached again and again for Sora and Yolei. None of those attacks worked; it was as if the dragons were made of a special metal that could never be scratched.

Then it was time for the warriors to give it a try. First went the Indian Princess-styled Yolei, who summoned, "TALON TEMPEST!" This allowed her set of Aquilamon talons to launch its claws into a hurricane-style sequence.

One dragon was thrown back by this attack, but it was otherwise in tact. Then it was the harpy-styled Sora who announced, "TORPEDO BEAK!" Her helmet, which resembled the top half of Birdramon's head, launched its fanged beak like a bullet at the dragons, and just like that it reappeared back onto her helmet.

They were thrown back again by this attack, but it otherwise didn't seem to phase them. Then, it was Lustmon's turn: "TOXIC PHEROMONE!" This allowed the dragons to unleash their deadly breath, which was as black as smog.

The smog covered the heroes entirely, blinding them temporarily. This gave Lustmon's beasts just enough time to ram themselves into their enemies, and toss them through the air like frisbees.

Sora was the closest to the Power Spine, so to catch herself from falling even harder, she latched onto the rooftop of the Spine as quickly as she could. With her talon-like gloves, Sora gripped onto the Spine's roof, where Lustmon sat comfortably on her side.

She smiled to the human near her, "What's the matter, Sora; you don't like my pets?" Sora replied with a frustrated growl, "Err… You're nothing but an ugly hag on the inside! Or worse!" The Sin nodded, "True, I represent both the pretty and ugly side of my sin; but hey, that's my job."

Then she sat up and added, "And what's your job, Sora? Still trying to represent love, in all its glory? You know, I've been watching you… I've even seen your dreams."

"Quit it!" growled Sora as she struggled to get a grip onto the Spine's surface. The Sin frowned, "Aw, I'm just trying to make conversation. You know, girl talk?"

"You're not a girl… You're not human at all!"

"Maybe, but I know how humans think. I know exactly what you want. And what you believe in. Let me tell you something, girlfriend, I've seen your past and I've learned one thing from it: your thoughts and beliefs about love are completely misguided."

"WHAT?"

"It's true… I mean, look at you. Here you are, fighting for what you believe in, and how's it going so far?"

"Stop it! You're just trying to throw me off, and- Woah!!" At that moment, Sora nearly slipped out of her grip, and in the process, she had accidentally unleashed a surge of black electricity from the surface of the Power Spine.

Lustmon took this opportunity to smile, "Just look at you. You and your friend Yolei have problems with love, don't you? Tell me something, girls, how could you fight for something that doesn't even exist?"

"Shut up!" hollered Yolei from nearby; she had just about heard enough of Lustmon's remarks, and decided to take her out by performing a nosedive at her. But the Sin saw this coming from behind, and reacted calmly by blocking Yolei's attack with the skeletal neck of one of her "pets."

But that was only the beginning; once dazed, Yolei found herself grabbed by the same dragon by its mouth, seconds later. Lustmon then stood up and said to Sora, "Perhaps your little friend here would like to be reminded of how 'love' has failed her time and time again! Watch!"

With that, she directed her weapon of choice's neck like a whip, causing it to toss Yolei right into the side of the dark Power Spine. On impact, Yolei was met by the same dark energy that Sora had started to become shocked by.

But this force of energy was, perhaps, even greater, causing her to let out a howl of pain. Her digimon friends tried to rush to her rescue, but they were being held back by Lustmon's dragons.

Soon this dark energy found its way into Yolei's mind. Once there, it consumed her with these haunting images of the past:

------------ Vision/Flashback: Yolei's Past (Part 1) ------------

Her first beau was named Takeya, and right from the start their relationship was rocky. He had warned her early on that his parents were very snooty, but she had to see it for herself.

One evening, before they were to go on their third date, Yolei sat down with Takeya's parents, and the trial began. "So," started the father, "Takeya says you're the smartest young lady in school. Are you studying to be a nurse?"

"No."

"A lawyer, perhaps?"

"N-no…"

"Well then, what kind of an education are you getting if you're not applying yourself, young lady?"

"I- well-"

The father then added, "What exactly have you been applying yourself to?"

"Um… Well, I- I use computers a lot."

"So you're a hacker?"

"No! No… Not really. I-"

"It's not that much of a career if you're planning to spend all day at a computer desk," remarked the mother; "You'd think you were playing video games or something."

"I don't play video games all the time!"

The father then asked, "Are you making video games?"

"No, of course not! That would be-"

"That would be the best career of all! Lots of money is going into that business, you know!"

"…You both seem to be interested in me making money."

Then, they both said, "How could you be good enough for our son if you're not making MONEY!?"

This made her fall out of her seat, and out of the relationship.

Another beau she had was named Maro, and he was recommended by Yolei's mother's friend. "Oh, you'll love my son," she would brag; "He's the smartest in his class, and he's so charming."

He was about as charming as a tick on a dog, and it only took one date for Yolei to figure this out. It was at a fancy Japanese restaurant in downtown Tokyo, where the most exquisite of traditional foods were served.

During their dinner, Maro's motor of a mouth ran wild; "I'm actually taking an extra two years in college so that I could become a teacher. I really want to teach trigonometry; you know, I've scored a higher SAT grade than anyone in the entire country when I was in high school.

"Are you eating with those chopsticks? I'll bet those weren't cleaned off entirely. Excuse me, waitress! Waitress! …Please take these chopsticks back and give us some clean ones."

"They are clean, sir."

"Oh, I'm sure. And while you're at it, could you give us new glasses of water? There's something floating in there."

"Yes sir, right away."

"Now, as I was saying Jodie-"

"Yolei."

"Right. As I was saying, I had to prove my genius in college by being given a mathematical problem that even the professors couldn't solve. It was quite simple, really; all I had to do was take the equation of two and multiply it by…"

And this went on for the next ten minutes, making Yolei as bored as she was hungry, until, "What are you doing with that dish?"

"It's the appetizer."

"I'm not sure if that's fresh. Here, let me taste it."

"Oh, fine. Here…"

"…Yep."

"Fresh?"

"Nope! WAITRESS!"

"Ugh!"

"What? Is it wrong for me to be a little concerned? I mean, you are my date."

"Yes, but you don't have to be prissy about every little thing!"

"_Sssh!_ You'll disturb the other guests. Have a little courtesy, Yolanda."

"…That's it, I wanna go home. Check, please!"

"Yes, let's get out of here. I'll bet they serve the rats that crawl in the kitchen as deserts!" When he said that, the other guests were disgusted enough to leave along with them.

"I HATE YOU! I WANT YOU TO _DIE!_" screamed Yolei from her bedroom window.

She was looking down hatefully at her latest boyfriend, shouting, "YOU PROMISED ME YOU'D NEVER SEE HER AGAIN, AND YOU LIED TO ME! NOT ONLY THAT, YOU _KISSED_ HER! HOW COULD YOU KISS HER WHEN YOU'RE GOING OUT WITH _ME!?_"

The young man, as scared as a rabbit staring down a fox, stuttered, "No no no no! Y-You don't understand. Sh-She kissed me-"

"OH, DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Yolei screamed. "Don't even GO THERE, boy! The old 'She kissed me' thing is no longer relevant! They just passed a new law stating that ALL kissing is EQUAL!" "...W-when they do that?" the boy foolishly asked.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" she hollered furiously, and proceeded to move away from the window.

"I know I was stupid," the young man admitted; "I shoulda known I was weak. I can't help it; I'm a man! Men have these uncontrollable urges, you know? We're just being true to our natural instincts, our primal-"

**WHAM! **

The poor kid just didn't see that thick textbook coming, and it slammed into his face. Stunned and cross-eyed, he chirped, "Right... Well..." Trying to keep his balance, he wobbled as he looked at the blurry, spinning images of Yolei and saluted, "I'll see ya later." With that, he stumbled away.

------------ End Vision ------------

Once this last image of her past was lifted from her mind, Yolei was overcome with despair, to the point where it had weakened her physically as well as mentally. She was then freed by the electric shocks of the Power Spine's energy, but without her strength, she made a rough tumble to the sandy earth.

Silphymon got to her side before Garudamon, but once they got there, they found Yolei stunned. "Yolei?" muttered a worried Silphymon, as he scooped her up in his arms; "Yolei… Speak to me. Say something."

She responded by opening her eyes; she seemed alright, but only on the outside. When she muttered, "Jared…" it was clear that something else was going on, on the inside.

------------ Vision/Flashback: Yolei's Past (Part 2) ------------

This was Yolei's fifth beau of all, and the hardest to forget.

They've been pretty serious for two months, and during those two months he proved to be everything Yolei wanted in a sweetheart; charming, polite, and very handsome.

But all of that changed slowly, as Jared became more and more possessive with time. She didn't notice it at first, but after a while he wanted to know where she was all the time, and who she was with whenever they weren't together.

But the can of worms was opened at last when they came back from seeing a movie one evening. Jared pulled up in the driveway of Yolei's house, and turned the car off, but when Yolei reached for the door, he pulled it shut. Startled, she turned to him and gasped, "W-what's the matter?"

"We need to talk," he said with a dark gleam in his eyes.

Yolei blinked, "What do you wanna talk about?" He replied coldly, "I see you hanging out with those other guys a couple times. Are you seeing any of them behind my back?" Yolei was appalled by this remark and snapped, "Those guys are my friends! I can see them whenever I want; you're not the boss of me."

"Listen Yolei," he snapped back, "I want you to tell me what you and your so-called friends do every time I see you go with them into diners and malls."

"We just hang out. What's the big deal?"

"You're raising your voice to me."

"Well, you started it you big jerk!"

She then tried to get out of the car, but again he shut her door. "Jared," she warned, "let me out of here! I wanna go home." "Not until you prove to me that I'm the only guy in your life!" he growled jealously. She rolled her eyes, "What do you want from me, Jared?" It didn't take him long to give her a clue: "Kiss me."

To appease him, she gave him a quick little peck on the cheek; "There," she said, "now take me home." To her surprise, he suddenly grabbed her by the arm and started to squeeze it tightly; "That's not good enough!" he replied darkly. "Ow!" she barked; "Stop it! You're hurting me."

"You're not getting out of this car until you give me what I want!" he sneered. "You're crazy," she replied, now seeing the change in his character. "Let go of me!" she added, while starting to struggle for freedom. But it was no use; he was much stronger than her, and his grip on her arm began to hurt even more.

Again, he demanded, "If you're serious about us, then you'll kiss me now!" This was all starting to scare poor Yolei; what was she to do?

------------ End Vision ------------

Sora watched from above as her friends on the ground seemed to be lost in thought. She turned to Lustmon and narrowed her eyes to her with, "What did you do to her?" The Sin replied with crossed arms, "I simply reminded her that you humans are gullible enough to believe that true love is possible, but in fact it is a fantasy.

"In fact, I'm sure you can agree with me on this, Sora, that love in all its forms is too rare a thing to come by. I mean, look at Yolei; she's been looking for love her whole life, and it's brought her nothing but pain."

"That's… not true," replied Sora; she tried to defend Yolei, but seeing her friend in this state of shock she was in made Sora seem hesitant. Lustmon huffed, "Hmph. You of all people should know what I'm talking about. What about your situation with Matt, hm? You want to think that you two still have a chance, but deep down in your heart, you know it's going to fail. Don't you?"

Now she was going too far; Sora growled at Lustmon in frustration, but couldn't say anything in her own defense. She did, however, receive the strength to crawl up the rooftop of the Power Spine at last, so that she could square off against the Sin personally.

"I know what you're doing," she growled at the Sin; "Polarimon tried to warn us… But it's not gonna work, you hear me?" Lustmon knew better than the human that her influence was working perfectly; she narrowed her eyes and disagreed, "Oh, I beg to differ…"

Yolei was just getting to her feet at this point, and Silphymon was helping her by holding her up in support. "Are you sure you're alright, Yolei?" Silphymon asked her; as she grabbed her head in anguish she replied with a shaky voice, "It's those memories… She's making them haunt me! I gotta fight it…"

Deep within her mind, the images of an aggressive Jared kept taunting at her.

As devastated as she was with these oppressive memories, Yolei was giving it all she had to fight them off. Now on her feet independently, she coaxed to her digimon friends, "Hurry… Go help Sora, she needs you." Her Ultimate partner frowned, "What about you?" Yolei turned to him and replied, "…I'll be fine. Go!"

With that, her digimon friends obeyed her, and took off to help Sora.

Once again, the Ultimate digimon had their chance to fight Lustmon, and once again the Sin was ready to counter them. Sora saw them coming and shouted, "Hurry! Change into your Mega forms and beat this witch!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned the overconfident Lustmon to her enemies.

Garudamon took her challenge and said, "I'll stop you, you evil monster. GARUDAMON, DIGIVOLE T-"

**WHAM!**

The Ultimate was countered by one of Lustmon's dragon pets from behind; she proved to be much stealthier than she seemed. As one humanoid bird took a hit and nearly fell to the ground, the other attempted the same feat; "SILPHYMON, DIGIVOLVE-" "TOXIC PHEROMONE!" countered Lustmon immediately.

The sudden breath of poisonous gas took Silphymon by surprise, and caused him to cough and gag for air. Two Ultimates were losing their powers fast, and Sora felt helpless to save them.

"Come on Yolei…" she commanded herself, as she forced herself into a state of near meditation, "You've just got to think… You know Lustmon's just using these thoughts against you, now concentrate! …Remember… Remember what happened that night… Remember what happened next…"

Perhaps Yolei's will was much stronger than Lustmon had anticipated, for soon after that, she made herself remember…

------------ Vision/Flashback: Yolei's Past (Part 3) ------------

"You're not getting out of this car until you give me what I want!" he sneered. "You're crazy," she replied, now seeing the change in his character. "Let go of me!" she added, while starting to struggle for freedom. But it was no use; he was much stronger than her, and his grip on her arm began to hurt even more.

Again, he demanded, "If you're serious about us, then you'll kiss me now!" This was all starting to scare poor Yolei; what was she to do?

Then suddenly, Jared's car door flew open without his doing. A young man's arm reached in, grabbed Jared by the hair, and yanked him out of the car with a force that even he couldn't fight off, for he didn't expect it. This forced exit caused Jared to let loose his grip on Yolei, who fell back in the car.

Then, as she reached for a breath, she looked out to see who came to her rescue; "…Ken?" Indeed, it was!

Ken threw a startled Jared to the ground and barked, "What do you think you were doing in there!?" The bigger young man got to his feet and shoved Ken back in reply, "It's none of your business!" "Oh yes it is," argued the shorter young man; "When you started attacking my friend, you made it my business."

"She's not your girlfriend," growled Jared, but Ken remarked, "Oh, so that gives you a right to push her around?"

At this point, Yolei got out of the car and approached the two of them; "Guys, stop it," she demanded in a shy voice. Taken back, Jared moved away and said, "Forget it!" Then he pointed shrewdly at Ken and hissed, "You want her? You can have her. I'm outta here."

At first, Ken was ready to let him leave, until he heard the bully remark, "She's a dog, anyway." With his eyes lit up with rage, Ken turned back around to the big bully, and gave him what he deserved: a punch across the face hard enough to knock him on his back.

"Ken!" gasped Yolei; she ran to his side and looked down at a temporarily knocked out Jared. Then she looked to her friend, who was shaking his hand in pain, and blinked, "…wow… That was some punch!"

Without any concern over his own health, Ken turned to her and asked, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" She held onto her bruised arm and lied, "No, I'm okay… I guess."

He could tell that she was shaken, and in a calm voice he said, "Come on, I'll take you in." She failed to argue, and as they were heading to her doorway, she looked to him and asked, "Uh, Ken?"

"Hm?"

"…How did you… I mean… Why are you here?"

"Huh?"

"At my house. How did you know I'd be here?"

"Oh… uh… I saw you and Jared at the movies. I wanted to make sure you got home safe, so I had Matt drive me here."

"Ohh…"

"I mean, I wasn't trying to be paranoid! I was just- uhh… Concerned!"

"Right…"

"…..Cause I don't like it when people pick on my friends! Especially my BEST-"

"I understand, Ken. It's alright…"

He tried SO hard not to blush and show his true feelings this whole time, but Yolei saw it early on, and was flattered.

She smiled to him confidently, "Thank you." He couldn't help but smile; it was a silly love-struck smile, but it worked.

That was the last ting that was said, other than the two of them exchanging "Goodnights" to each other. But that was enough to make Yolei's night; she went inside her house knowing that she had somebody looking out for her.

And it didn't matter if he was her boyfriend or not.

------------ End Vision ------------

"THAT'S IT!" Yolei cheered, as she opened her eyes to welcome a newfound spirit within herself. She looked up at the top of the Power Spine and narrowed her eyes as they burned with a thirst for revenge.

As the weakened Garudamon and Silphymon clung desperately to the corners of the Power Spine nearby, Lustmon let her guard down by making her attached dragons disappear, becoming tangible once again. She glared sinisterly at a weakened Sora and smiled, "Poor little Sora; you're as weak and helpless as you were when you first came here. I've got you right where I want you."

Then a familiar voice came from behind: "I could say the same thing about you, you tramp!"

Lustmon gasped to hear Yolei, and by the time she turned to see where she was coming from, the rejuvenated warrior of Faith slammed into her by surprise. The impact of their collision tossed both Yolei and Lustmon off of the Power Spine, then the two of them levitated in mid air to regain their breaths.

The stunned Sin panted, "You! …How did you… resist my influence??" Proudly, Yolei crossed her arms and replied, "You forget, I'm the Digi-Destined of Faith! As long as I have faith in at least one guy out there, you've got no effect on me."

The Sin's eyes fluttered, "…One… guy?" That's when it hit her like a thunderbolt, and she hissed, "…**No**…" Yes. She now knew that she wasn't the only one whose feelings were aimed at a certain Digi-Destined of Kindness.

Yolei didn't understand why, but Lustmon's blood was now pumping full of jealousy; the Sin immediately unleashed her dragon horde again, this time without even needing to call on them.

Taken by surprise, Yolei made a dash for it, but Lustmon was set to attack anyway. The two of them started to fly laps around and around the Spine; at one point, Yolei had enough time to call to one of her digimon friends; "Garudamon! Get Sora! Make her shut off the Power Spine! Hurry!!"

As she said this, Yolei just barely missed getting chomped up by a skeletal black dragon. "GET…BACK…HERE!" roared the insanely jealous Lustmon.

While these two played tag, Garudamon swooped over to Sora, who was still lost in deep thought. The giant bird perched herself by her side and said, "Sora, we need you. Use your crest to shut off the Power Spine.

"…Sora?"

Hearing her partner's voice, Sora finally blinked her way out of her spell and muttered, "Huh, what? …Garudamon?" "Sora," replied the Ultimate, "we must go, now!" Garudamon picked Sora up into her front arms and took a flying leap off of the roof of the Power Spine.

As fast as the wind, they swooped into the interior of the Spine, whizzing past the maze-like walls as they shone blue with ancient data codes, until they made it into its center. There, they found the core data, spilling upward and out of the tower like a reversed whirlpool.

Garudamon held out her partner and said, "This is it, Sora; use your crest." Sora knew her place, despite the heaviness of her heart, and so she reached her battle crest out to the spilling data, and said the command:

"LOVE'S LIGHT, ENERGIZE!"

Instantly, her battle crest shot out a ray of pink light, which touched the core data; once it did, the data was then painted pink, just like the light of Love.

In reaction to this, the core data reversed its flow and fell downward, back into the center of the digital world from which it came.

From a safe distance, Silphymon watched in utter shock as his partner clashed with the mad-driven Lustmon. At this point, Yolei and Lustmon were clawing at each other like cats; feathers flew from the wings of Yolei's battle gear, and likewise shreds of Lustmon's silky hair went flying like torn paper.

Most furious of the two of them was the Sin, as she started to ramble, "You think just because you two are friends, you think you have a chance with him!? He's _mine!"_ Confused, Yolei defended herself by saying, "What are you talking about??" "Don't play coy with me, you stupid girl!" hissed the purple Sin.

But then-

**WHOOSH!**

The two of them came to a halt, as the earth and air around them felt the impact of the Power Spine's reversed effects. Both Yolei and Lustmon turned to see the Spine change glowing colors, from blue to pink. "No!!" cried the Sin; Yolei reacted quite differently, "It's Sora! She did it!"

They watched as Sora and Garudamon made their way out of the Spine, and hovered around the surface of its rooftop. As soon as it turned dark and lifeless, the two of them combined their powers, with "Wing Blade" and "Torpedo Beak." Like glass, the Power Spine shattered on impact with the combined powers.

This fight belonged to the heroes, and Lustmon knew it. She hummed and sighed with the agony of defeat, as her enemies turned to her, looking for some more action. But she declined by moving backward in mid air; she frowned, "Sorry, kids, but I've lost all interest in this game… Ta-ta." Then, to their amazement, she vanished.

Garudamon huffed, "Heh! She barely put up a fight there…" Yolei shook her head, "I don't think she was looking for a fight…"

She understood what Lustmon was sent to do; to challenge her and Sora by messing with their insecurities, just as Polarimon had warned them. Once Yolei had the upper hand, there was no point for Lustmon to carry on- she had done her job, and she had failed…

Or, did she?

"Sora?" Yolei muttered as she turned to her friend. She saw the blank look in her friend's eyes, which was temporarily shut off once the warrior of Love heard her name. Sora blinked, "Yeah? …I'm fine. Really." Concerned, Yolei gave her a trusting nod.

A little time had passed, and their digimon partners regained their strength by reverting back into their In-Training forms. Each one was perched securely in the arms of his or her partner, and couldn't feel safer anywhere else. "…Let's try to find the others," suggested Yolei. They all agreed with her, and started on their way.

No one seemed to notice, but Sora's eyes gazed blankly at the ground as they walked. In her mind, she remembered that of all of them, she clung onto the Power Spine the longest. And even though Yolei took the hardest hit to it, Sora had dark energy charging into her first. It was a much longer-lasting effect, compared to Yolei's, and it started to show, as her blank eyes started to darken.

Back in the heavenly Sky City, Polarimon and her angelic friends gathered to observe the outcome of the battle in the desert. The Keeper of the Sky focused deeply on Sora; she could see the darkness which the young lady had received from the Power Spine grow inside her already. Polarimon gave a deep but gentle sigh…

"It's starting already…"

TO BE CONTINUED


	20. Fame And Misfortune

_"Me, Yolei and our digimon were sleeping the night away, when we were suddenly taken in by a tornado. At first, we thought we were goners, but then we realized that we had been sent to Polarimon's Sky Palace. Polarimon herself took us to Gluttonymon's Power Spine to finish it off, when who shows up but Lustmon? After trying to break our spirits with our problems with guys, Yolei was able to snap out of it and distract Lustmon, while I took out the Power Spine. If this keeps up, we'll all probably need some counseling when we get home!"_

-Sora

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty: "Fame And Misfortune"**

A kindly blue Trailmon had picked up Veedramon Zero on the road, on the evening of the day he met Cody, the first human he had seen in eons.

Through the night and well into the next day, the Trailmon headed north, to the mountain ranges of Polarimon's realm. Finally, it reached its last post, just miles from a pine forest that would lead to the mountains; it stopped in a huff, and whistled, "Okay, last stop! Everybody out!"

Inside, it looked like a normal train; there were seats, tables, windows, and even tug-able chords on the walls to signal the Trailmon for a stop. But when it stopped this time, Zero seemed to be the only one on the train, not just the cart.

He was snoring the dawn away, right when he heard an even bigger whistle: "ALRIGHT! WAKE UP, SUNSHINE, WE'RE HERE!" Alarmed the aged Veedramon woke with a "WAH! WAHH!" and fell flat out of his chair with a "**Thud**."

After finally getting his momentum, Veedramon Zero stuck his head out the doorway of the Trailmon boxcar to sniff the air, which reeked of cool, fresh pine. Refreshed, he happily jumped off the Trailmon and started on his way toward the mountains.

Kellen was watching Zero take his first steps into an unknown wilderness from his own secluded hideaway, via a virtual monitor. He sat there puzzled, scratching his chin as though he was taking a pop quiz.

"Hmmm," he hummed, with his eyes focused curiously on Zero; "This Veedramon Zero claims to be an ancient hero… Could he just be saying that, or… is what Gennai told me true?"

"Huh?" peeped Culumon, as he peeked up from over Kellen's small shoulder. Kellen glanced to his creation and explained, "One of the first things that Gennai taught me was that there are more than one dimension to the digital world."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, Culumon, that Zero may have come from an alternate reality -an alternate digital world."

"But how is that possible, Kellen?"

It was a complicated matter indeed, and although he himself was still a young boy, Kellen had to pause to rethink everything that he had learned up till then. Then he remembered…

"Before our old world was destroyed, Gennai said that our people had found a way to look into other worlds, for references as they began to make the original digital world.

"First we used space probes to act as satellites as they spied on planets like Earth, and then each of them came back to us to show us everything that they had seen…

"Here's the thing, Culumon; there were millions of probes sent out, and only half of them came back to us."

"What happened to the rest of them?"

"They got lost… Some believed that they were sent through a space rift caused either by black holes or some other act of nature we've never seen yet.

"But that started the theory; the theory of alternate reality. No one could prove it yet, but it is possible that the digital world could cross through these rifts in space, causing different outcomes for everything."

"How could it cross over like that?"

"It's a virtual reality in itself; therefore, it has the power to travel through space and time unlike any other planet. Think of it as a world that doesn't need gravity; it can go anywhere. And it does… There's really no telling what it's been through, and what's been done to it.

"All we know is this: Now we have a digimon that's never been seen by us before, claiming to be an old hero. If he is, in fact, telling the truth… then he must have been sent here by a dimension rift."

"What's a dimension rift?"

"It's something I've never seen before… Gennai's never seen it either, but he believes it to be true. What it is, is a crossover of two or more realities.

"Gennai explained it once, saying, 'Since the digital world is free of gravity, and can move anywhere, then it is possible that it could be cloned through the same kind of space rifts that have happened to our old space probes. And therefore, two digital worlds could eventually collide, and become one.' That's a dimension rift."

"…That's all very complicated. I'm glad I don't have to take a test on all this."

Kellen giggled, "Yeah… But it is fascinating, isn't it?" "Yeah!" bopped the head of Culumon, whose ears expanded with joy.

Then the little digimon asked, "Do you think Gennai's out there now, watching all this happen?" Kellen frowned, "I don't know where he is… If I had the power, I'd go out there in Limbo and find him myself."

Then, the inquisitive Culumon asked, "Kellen? …Is it possible that other planets could have different realities?"

Kellen replied, "Well, so far, the digital world has found its way through Earth, thanks to that planet's advance technology. I'm sure the digital world could find its way to any planet that has that kind of power.

"…That could explain how Zero has seen humans before. But the idea of there being more than one Earth… That's a mystery.

"…And it's a history that'll have to wait," concluded Kellen, as he turned off the virtual monitor with just a wave of his hand.

He got to his feet and walked towards a wall with encrypted writing on it; he said, "What I need to worry about right now is Gennai; he's somewhere out there in Limbo, and I have to make sure he's okay."

"How're you gonna do that?" asked Culumon, who followed in the boy's shadow weightlessly.

Kellen stared at the writings on the wall and replied, "Well, if I have any strength in me, I might be able to open up these portal gates. Maybe through them, I could pick up his presence and find out where he is… Here goes."

The young boy then began to fall into a state of meditation, as Gennai normally would whenever he tapped into his powers.

Culumon watched patiently, hoping to see if his friend and creator had what it took to become Gennai's successor.

Going over the high hills of the far north seemed like a chore for Zero, whose chubby legs didn't seem fit for such a hike.

But still he pressed on, following his instincts like a dog leading itself home through the wilderness. He knew in his heart that he was on the right path; he was on his way to find his long-lost human friend, Taichi Yagami.

With his spirits on an all-time high, he trotted over the high hills with a great big smile on his face. He even hummed to himself as he was skipping over puddles, bridges and through tall grass in the fields.

It was when he finally crossed over these highlands when he caught sight of two humans, who were on their way to the nearest mountaintop.

Zero's eyes were weak, but he could tell by their general appearances that they were human- one was a blonde, the other a brunette. It was the brunette that caught Zero's interest the most, for he recognized that high level of hair almost instantly.

"…Is that… Is that him?" he blinked in curiosity. Not a moment too soon afterwards, he quickened his pace to get a closer look.

When he finally did, he found himself near the very base of the mountain, and there he could see the human perfectly. They were just several feet above him, hiking upward on a not-so-beaten path on the mountain.

There were large boulders and several trees on their path, so one couldn't notice automatically the two little digimon that were traveling with them. But Zero wasn't looking for digimon, he was looking for Taichi.

When he got a much closer look at the young man with the high brown hair, he thought he had found him at last. "Taichi," the Veedramon muttered with glossy eyes. Neither Tai nor Matt, nor even their digimon, had heard him coming; they were too focused on climbing over the rocks in their way.

Quickly, Zero started to catch up to them, with a look of joy in his face that would resemble that of a child's on Christmas morning.

…But all of that changed when he finally saw who was tailing the human: an Agumon.

The little yellow dinosaur came hopping out of hiding from behind a giant boulder, catching up with Tai at last, but not before he slipped and fell first. "Woah! Lookout, little buddy," replied Tai, as he finally turned around, giving Zero the best shot of his face, to pick up his little partner.

"Thanks, Tai," smiled the little dinosaur; "I wish my legs were as long as yours." The human smiled, "Well, it also helps to have great brakes on your shoes."

The two of them had their little bonding moment, and though it seemed sweet to look at, it made a shocked Zero slow his running pace. In fact, upon seeing this moment, he pretty much skidded to a halt.

There he was, the human Zero had not seen in ages, holding up another digimon as his partner. For poor old Zero, it was as if he were a lost dog, finding his owner at last, only to see him with a new puppy.

No, it was worse than that; these two were more than a human and a pet, they were best friends- soul mates, practically.

As if he didn't believe what he was seeing, Zero took another close look at Tai- that was Taichi's face, alright. The same hair, the same eyes, the same everything.

Why was he with an Agumon? This questioned danced on in the Veedramon's head, while he watched with a heavy heart as Tai continued on his path with the little Agumon.

He was only several feet away, and surely if he were to get any closer, Tai would have seen him. But now, it seemed as though the aged Champion's long journey was all for nothing. He had found his old friend at last, but it seemed as though Taichi had completely forgotten about him. Perhaps they were separated much longer than he thought; could Taichi really forget his old friend Zero?

…It was too late to ask questions now, for the human and Agumon were already leaving his sight, tailing Matt and Gabumon.

Zero's heart sank as he saw them walk away. He became overwhelmed with disappointment to the point where he could no longer talk. As much as it pained him, however, he figured that there was no point in going any further.

Reluctantly, he turned tail and slowly reversed his direction, back to the Trailmon station from whence he came. That is, right before he took one last glance at the human he once knew, and muttered sadly, "Taichi…"

Nearly an hour later, Tai, Matt and their digimon friends had finally made it to the top of that mountain, upon which a secluded little forest was set. It was high enough for there to be patches of frost on the ground and on boulders, but where there wasn't so much frost, the boys settled down to rest.

At first, Tai and Agumon were scouting the terrain, to see if they could spot any other signs of life, but that was when Tai's attention was caught by something nearby. It was Matt, who was softly humming to himself while he was writing something on a small pad he carried with him on the trip.

Gabumon was by his feet, witnessing his actions curiously. "Hey you guys," Tai spoke up as he and Agumon approached them, "what're you doing?" While his eyes were fixed on his notepad, Matt confessed, "I'm writing a new song." Tai took a seat on the rock next to Matt's and pried, "Oooh, is this for your new album?" Matt paused from his work to reply patiently, "Actually… this is for Sora."

Tai then narrowed an eye in suspicion, "Sora? …Hey, are you guys officially back together, or are you still on a break?" His friend shrugged, "I dunno, really… I thought we were getting back together, but so far nothing's happened… That's why I wanna write this song; I wanna tell her how I feel."

"Then why don't you just _tell_ her how you feel?"

"'Cause I'm just the kind of musician who expresses himself through his music; and besides, she might think this is more romantic."

Tai just rolled his eyes, "Ugh… I don't really know how you can deal with her. She's always been tough for me to understand." "Well, that's your problem then," Matt declared softly, causing Tai to move away so that he could focus on other things, like finding life on these rocks.

Matt watched him move away carefully, and did so in a way that Tai wouldn't notice. He knew something that his friends didn't, something that had happened between him and Sora that caused the semi-breakup, and at the time, he wanted to keep it that way.

Gabumon was a silent witness up until that moment; he inched himself closer to his human partner and in his own shy way he said, "Matt, I don't mean to be nosy, but from what I've heard, it seems to me that the bigger humans get, the more complicated life is."

Now here stood someone Matt felt most comfortable with bearing his soul too; Matt looked up at his little partner and smiled, "Yeah, it does. You wouldn't have any words of advice for me, would ya buddy?"

The little digimon just smiled, "Wouldn't it be easier if you could just be more like me?" Matt blinked, "Wha-whaddya mean?" Gabumon smiled, "Well you know, if you could… di-digivolve back into your younger self? Then things wouldn't be so complicated anymore, would they?"

Matt's spirits were lifted at that moment, and he smiled back, "Yeah! I wish I could di-digivolve! Then I could be a young kid forever!" Gabumon added with an even bigger smile, "And we'd never have to worry about growing up or saying goodbye again!" The two of them laughed in enjoyment, and then Matt gently scratched his partner's head, saying, "You're alright, Gabumon."

"Hey Matt," Gabumon then said, "I wanna help you write that new song. The one for Sora." His human friend smiled, "Great! I could use some help…" He then showed Gabumon what he had written so far:

"I'm sick of this; let's break this wall

That stands here between us two

I know you're mad, and I know why

I just wasn't clear with (you)

You caught me lying, when I said I'm over you…"__

"Is that it?" blinked the curious Gabumon. Matt sighed, "Well, I'm coming up to the chorus, but I dunno how to start it. I'm thinking, 'You're the reason why I'm here,' or something poetic like that. Whaddya think?"

The little Rookie let the gears in his brain turn, until he finally came up with an answer: "Try something more dramatic like, 'You're the reason why I breathe.'" "That's great!" rejoiced Matt; "I'm writing that down!" And he did.

Tai and Agumon were spying nearby, and didn't seem to care what was going on between their friends, but then something else caught their attention- a rustling sound, as if something was running through a bush nearby. "What was that??" Tai gasped in surprise. "What was what?" asked the not-so-curious Matt nearby.

Tai and Agumon glanced at the bushes nearby with a look of paranoia in their eyes. "Over here!" Tai blinked; "I think something's in here."

Matt didn't pay him any mind and replied, "It's probably just the wind; we haven't seen a village since we got here." Tai paused to consider this theory, and sighed, "…Maybe you're right…"

With curiosity still tingling his mind, Tai turned away from the bushes slowly, making sure it was just the wind that caused them to stir.

…But it wasn't; a pair of small, yellow spying eyes peered through the darkness of the plants, and then disappeared again.

Those pair of small yellow eyes had with them a body made entirely of gray rock, and with its little legs it dashed away from the traveling heroes, down the other side of the hill on which the travelers paused to rest, and skidded to a halt on the hill's base.

Standing there, waiting for their little spy, was the shadowed figures of Pridemon and perched on her shoulder like a pet was the little demonic Rookie, DemiDevimon.

The female shadow narrowed her red eyes to the Gotsumon, "So? They're here already?" The little gargoyle-like digimon nodded, "Yes, your eminence, just as you said they would be!"

"Excellent," grinned the dark Sin; she then commanded the Gotsumon, "Lead those fools to your village, and give them a hero's welcome." The Gotsumon saluted, "Yes, your eminence," and took off.

The nosy little DemiDevimon then turned to his mistress and sneered, "Are you sure this plan of yours is gonna work?" Pridemon gave him a stern smile, "One way or another, it will work. On one hand, I could have myself yet another corrupted Digi-Destined; and on the other, I'll at least see just what he and his friends are capable of."

She then turned away and added, "As for those rock-type digimon, they're not as easily-corrupted as the rest of them, so I need you to make sure that they follow my orders." With his wing for an arm, he saluted her, "Yes, ma'am!" He took off in a hurry, as she crossed her arms and thought aloud, "The idea of having the Children of Friendship and Courage at each other's throats yet again amuses me.

"But I have more important things to worry about, such as securing my Power Spine." Then just like that, she faded away like a shadow.

Just as Pridemon had expected, Tai, Matt and the others found their way down the other side of the semi-lush mountain with daylight still available in the sky. It was nearly sundown, but the boys had no trouble finding a stone path, which was almost as smooth as a real street, along the way.

Curiously, they followed this road, and it took them deep into a dark, gray plateau. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then they spotted lights- streetlights, to be exact, made from candle-like torches. These street lamps were paved along the sides of the road, which could only mean one thing: a city was nearby.

Indeed, Tai and the others had discovered Rock City, a simple town with an equally simple name, made entirely out of the bottom of a mountain. Like the pueblos built by the ancient Anasazi of old in the real world, the city's houses and shops were carved from the inside out of the rocky mountainside.

And within them, awaiting the honored guests, were dozens of rock-type digimon: Gotsumon, Golemon, and of course, Rockmon. On top of that, a few dinosaur types, like Monochromon, Mammothmon and Tuskmon, made themselves at home here.

Normally, this city would be on the move; there were activities to be done that involved the great rolling river near town. But while Tai and company approached this strange new land, the citizens of this ancient-looking town weren't just going about their daily basis.

No, they had already donned their city with decorations; balloons, flags, streamers, and almost as soon as the humans and their partners set foot into town, they were welcomed by a chorus of cheers and were rained on by confetti. This took the guests completely by surprise; so much so, that they were utterly speechless.

But then, Matt and Tai noticed that some of the rock digimon were holding up banners that read, "Welcome, Heroes." That's when they realized, someone knew that they were the Digi-Destined, and that they knew they were coming.

So, when a few of the citizens of Rock City started to approach them, the heroes were a bit shied. There was one Rockmon that led the crowd of rock-made digimon that approached the traveling heroes, and he was donned in an outfit that came complete with a top hat, a black jacket, and a ribbon pinned on his chest that indicated that he was Mayor of this town. An old-fashioned trend, indeed, but it fit the old-fashioned atmosphere of the entire city.

He greeted the teens and their digimon by tipping his hat and smiling, "Greetings, heroes! I am Rockmon, Mayor of Rock City." Tai blinked, "Uh… hi! I'm Tai, this is Agumon, and this is Matt and Gabumon." Each of the mentioned digimon waved in response, and then Rockmon courteously said, "This may come as a surprise, but when we heard that the legendary Digi-Destined were on their way here, we couldn't help but celebrate. You and your feats have been well documented all throughout the digital world, you know."

Matt and Tai exchanged faces at each other, as Tai grinned, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot, it's been a while since we were here; we must be legendary by now." "Yeah," Matt nodded.

"Come!" cheered the Rockmon Mayor; "Let's show you around this place. You must have traveled far and need some rest." "Well," admitted Tai, "I am kinda tired."

"Not me," Matt disagreed; "I'm looking forward to this place…" With that in mind, the four travelers stepped deeper into the great pueblo that was Rock City.

On the surface, the city didn't look that expansive, but on the inside it was. Floors upon floors were stacked on top of each other like a pyramid effect, going on for miles. Tai, Matt and their digimon looked left and right in curiosity, and noticed something besides the random waves and cheers from digimon that they passed by.

Tai pointed it out, "This place is nice, but… all it is, is rock, right?" Leading them onward was the Mayor, who explained, "Not far from this mountain is a great river; we've been using it for our plumbing and drinking water so far, but what we need to do is get some electricity in this town.

"You see, we're in the process of building a great dam on the other side of the mountain; with it, we could use hydroelectric energy instead of simple fire torches. We'll need the light, especially in the cave areas of town."

Matt observed as they walked on, "So, you guys are just starting to get a little modern, eh?" The Mayor joked in reply, "Well let's face it, we're not living in the Stone Age anymore. Right? Might as well evolve with everybody else!"

The Mayor of Rock City had led them across a safe passage around the mountain's side, which took them to a clear sighting of the near-finished dam. It was a great, stone wall, built entirely of clay and boulders which were being transported by Monochromon and Tuskmon, then fashioned and placed by Golemon and Ankylomon.

Behind it stood the river in its original glory; surely, if the damn had not been there, most of Rock City would be underwater. As the Mayor had then explained, "We've been working on this project for a few months now, and it's near its completion at last. We make sure we use the strongest and most solid rocks, or else it could flood half of our city if it falls."

"Wow," sighed Tai, "you guys are good."

The Mayor smiled proudly, until he caught something zipping through the air. It was DemiDevimon, overlooking the scene while trying to avoid being spotted by the heroes.

The Rockmon Mayor gulped softly as he spotted the small demonic Rookie perch himself on a stalagmite in the distance, then giving the Mayor a sharp glare.

The Mayor then knew what he had to do; he turned to the humans and made a fake smile, "Come, come! We have something special for you heroes. It's back in the city. I'm sure you'll love it."

The Mayor was suddenly moving much faster, which startled the humans at first, but then they shrugged it off and followed him back.

There it stood, just at the base of the city: the main square. In it was a well-carved concert hall, made entirely of clay and rock, which was etched out from the very earth itself. Already, dinosaur and rock digimon were gathering to take their seats in it, and onstage already was a band of Gotsumon.

"Wow!" gasped an excited Matt; "It's a concert hall." The Mayor stood before them and presented it formally, "Welcome to the Rock City Music Hall. Since we have some electricity now, thanks to our new dam, we've decided to set up this place for entertainment. We were going to provide you with all of our own music, but if you like, we will allow you to join in."

Matt pointed to himself in surprise; "Me?" The Mayor nodded, "Why, yes! Aren't you the Digi-Destined that has his own rock band?" Tai couldn't help but chuckle at this; "Heh-heh-heh! _Rock_ band… Made entirely of rock, for real! Hahahaha!"

Matt was not amused, but he was delighted in the thought of being famous even in the Digital World as a rock star. Matt blushed slightly, "How did you know?" "Like I said," explained the Mayor, "your feats have been well documented here, and that includes all of your feats in the real world."

The shy-natured Gabumon then blushed, "Uh, I think this is our fault, Matt. We kinda told a lot of our friends that you were a musician." Matt smiled to his friend, "Aww, you guys…"

"We really would like to hear you perform… uh, Matt, is it?" smiled the Rockmon Mayor. Matt was all too flattered by this invitation, but Tai stepped in and replied, "Why don't we just get a place to rest for a while first? We've had a-"

"I would love to perform," interrupted the energetic Matt. "Wha?" gasped Tai; "…Are you sure, Matt?" "Well, why not?" he replied; "I haven't gotten a chance to really enjoy myself for a while. Besides, I think they wanna hear some songs."

Tai seemed a little too protective of his friend, but he let it go by sighing, "Alright… Agumon and I'll look for a place to rest. You go ahead and… do your thing." While he said this, he gestured to the center stage, as if sarcastic about it. "I will," smiled his friend.

Then Matt and Gabumon went their separate ways from Tai and Agumon; Tai and his partner exited, while Matt and his partner approached the stage.

This was to be the first real chance for the citizens of Rock City to finally get a taste of their newfound electricity, let alone real music. So when Matt and Gabumon set foot onto the stage, the audience was all too ecstatic, and roared with applause.

Matt took up the lead guitar, and looked to a Gotsumon base player nearby, who said, "We memorized all your sings already, so we're ready when you are, Boss."

Matt gave him an upbeat nod in reply.

Gabumno, not yet familiar with any music instrument, casually stepped into the background, letting his partner have his moment in the sun. And so, the first song began…

(Begin original song, "I Don't Wanna Grow Up." The beat is similar to that of Green Day's "Basket Case")

I don't wanna grow up 

_I think I'll stick to being just a kid_

_I'm doing better than I ever did_

_The thought of aging makes me have a fit_

_I don't wanna grow up_

_I'm sick and tired of reality_

_It doesn't have originality_

_It doesn't fit my personality_

_'Cause if I ever grow up,_

_I'll have to stick with paying bills_

_And heart attacks and sleeping pills_

_And something else, called responsibility_

_It all just seems too much, you see_

_And I don't think it's meant for me_

_So I don't wanna grow up!_

_I wanna watch TV and sleep all day_

_I wanna always wanna get my way_

_Now what's the matter with that, anyway?_

_I don't wanna grow up_

_The thought of going bald frightens me_

_No other grown-up's really kind to me_

_And turning forty don't enlighten me_

_And I don't wanna get a job_

_I think I'd rather stay in school_

_And hang around with other cool kids_

_I don't wanna go by your rules no more_

_And what the heck's insurance for?_

_The whole thing sounds like such a bore,_

_So I don't wanna grow up!_

_But if I never grow up,_

_I'll still be living with my Mom_

_I'll never see my senior prom_

_You think I'm stupid, but I do have common sense_

_And maybe I should not resent_

_The thought of being President_

_Still, I don't wanna grow up!_

_I think I'll stick to being just a kid_

_I'm doing better than I ever did_

_The thought of aging makes me have a fit_

_I don't wanna grow up_

_I'm sick and tired of reality_

_It doesn't have originality_

_It doesn't fit my personality_

_Now I know this dream_

_Really is impossible_

_And growing old's unstoppable_

_And I'll bet you are thinking that I'm full of it_

_My friends think my dream should quit_

_But they're a bunch of hypocrites_

_'Cause they don't wanna grow up_

_The adult world is full of strife_

_And I don't want that in my life,_

_So I don't wanna grow up!_

_I don't wanna grow up!_

_I don't wanna grow up!_

_No, I don't wanna grow up!_

(Song ends)

Needless to say, the sing had just about everyone jumping and dancing, and when it ended, the audience was in an uproar of jubilation.

And then, they would call an encore, as expected. And this same cycle of song playing, dancing and cheering for more would go on… and on… until the evening slipped in like a cunning fox on the hunt.

When evening did arrive, the boys settled down in a hotel, each one sharing a room with their digimon partner. Like most of the city, the building was made almost entirely out of rock, but luckily for them, the begs and couches were cushioned with feathers and leaves.

It was in their room when Matt and Gabumon continued to write the new song, the one that Matt had dedicated to Sora. As the young man wrote the music notes on one piece of paper, Gabumon started to read aloud the lyrics on the note pad:

"I must admit, I made mistakes

I should have known better than

To go behind your back like that…"

The digimon stopped there. He felt a little disturbed by these words, and so he turned to his partner and softly asked, "Matt? What exactly are you talking about in this song?" At first, the young man was too focused on figuring out the melody, but then he blinked, "Huh?…" Gabumon explained, "It says here that you made some mistakes. Is that true?"

Slightly humbled, Matt paused to think about it, and then admitted, "Well okay, there was at least one time I made a mistake, and it nearly cost me big time." "I don't understand," blinked the dragon in wolf's clothing.

Matt gave him a frown, letting him know that he wasn't quite ready to talk about it, so Gabumon apologized, "I'm sorry, Matt. I know it's none of my business, but-" "No," interrupted his friend, "it's okay… I might as well tell you, since I trust you with everything." Then, the story began…

"It was one night, when me and Sora planned on going out to the movies together. I told her we'd meet in the park, like we always do. But then, earlier that day, I got a call from my friends saying we were invited to a party downtown. At first, I said no, but then they promised that we'd get a chance to perform in front of a huge crowd. So I only went to promote the band.

"So I went… and I lost all track of time, and the next thing I knew it, we hitched a ride with some fan-girls who wanted to spend some time with us at an after party. At this point, I totally forgot about Sora; she was probably still there, waiting for me.

"It was only when we got dropped off at this motel, when I realized how far this was going. I knew that once I stepped in there with those fan-girls, I'd never be able to look at Sora in the eyes again. So at the very last minute, I backed out."

Gabumon smiled, "So, you stayed true to Sora! That's not so bad." But Matt sat on the couch with a hung head; he frowned, "Yeah… but she found out about it the next day from one of my big-mouth band mates, and… Well, long story short, I tried to explain the truth to her, she didn't believe it, we kinda broke up."

There was a brief pause between the two of them; Gabumon now understood why Matt had been so shady about Sora, and that it was killing his partner on the inside. Matt then sighed in conclusion, "…I guess I deserved getting yelled at, 'cause I put my band before her. I still feel pretty bad about it; that's why I hope this song can help her understand just how I feel. Maybe she'll forgive me."

Gabumon listened intently the whole time, and he smiled, "Don't worry, Matt; I'm sure she will." "You think so, buddy?" asked the young man; Gabumon nodded, "Sure. You two are perfect for each other, because you're the Child of Friendship, and she's the Child of Love. You just can't have one without the other."

Matt took a moment to contemplate this, but in his heart he felt that being a child no more meant that he couldn't represent the virtue of Friendship like he used to. He stared blankly out the window, the only one in the room that gave off a fair sheet of sunlight.

Somebody was eavesdropping on Matt and Gabumon's conversation in the hallway; it was a little pink digimon with a set of long antennae-like ears; one of which was arched upward to pick up every sound coming from the room.

The little creature bounced across the hall, into another room. This one was the room of Tai and his partner, Koromon.

Tai was sitting on the bed, waiting ever so patiently for whatever it was that Koromon heard in the other room. While he waited, he was fiddling with his digivice, which started beeping to his amazement.

That's when he realized that he had e-mail waiting to be read. "Huh," he chirped, and opened the e-mail. It was Izzy's message about the Power Spines; he read it very carefully, imagining Izzy's voice as he did so:

"Guys, it's Izzy. Earlier today, we discovered something about the Sin Digimon. Each of them has what's called a Power Spine; they're being used to turn everything around them evil, and I'm sure there's more to it than that. Anyway, I'll keep this message short: when you find a Power Spine- you'll know it when you see it- just use your battle crest to destroy it. You'll know how to do it once you get there; trust me. Gotta run; there's more to explore around here."

_-Izzy_

"Well, whaddya know," muttered Tai; he then noticed his little Trainee partner bouncing into the room, and he whispered, "Well? How did it go?" The little Trainee frowned in reply, "I felt silly; I don't think spying on Matt and Gabumon counts as 'getting to the bottom of this.'" But Tai didn't want to hear Koromon's complaint; he shook his head and replied, "Just tell me what you heard, please."

The little pink digimon blinked, "Well, you were right about one thing, Matt and Sora did get into a fight, and they did break up." "I knew it," growled Tai under his breath. He crossed his arms and turned away, as if he was disappointed in the fact that his suspicions have been right on the money.

"What else?" he wondered; Koromon added, "Well, he feels pretty bad about it, and he wants to get back with her." Tai then scratched his chin, as though plotting something diabolical; "I just don't understand. What happened between those two? They seemed so… I dunno…"

The curious little digimon bounced his way onto Tai's bed, sat beside him, and asked, "You're not jealous, are you Tai?" At first, the question didn't register to the young man's head; but then he blinked, "Huh? …What'd you say?"

Koromon smiled, "You seem so concerned about Matt and Sora; is it because you're so close to them, or is it something else?" "It's nothing," was all he could say at the moment. Then he turned away, and tried to forget that the whole moment never happened.

Then, Koromon's antennae-like ears picked up a new sound, one coming from the window by the wall. Tai noticed that his partner's ears shoot up in the air, and he gasped, "What is it?" "I'm picking up something from outside," replied the little Trainee; "It's a voice… and it sounds so familiar."

By the time they exited their hotel, Tai and Koromon lost track of the familiar voice, but thankfully they still heard the soft marching sound of feet, heading in a specific direction. As they secretly followed this marching sound, it led them to the pass across the mountain that would lead to where the dam was being built.

When they finally got there, Tai and Koromon observed from a safe hiding spot on a wall what was going on. With suspicion running wild in his eyes, Tai narrowed his gaze at one visible character that stood on the top of the dam; "It's DemiDevimon!"

Koromon saw it too, and gasped, "It can't be the same one we saw a couple years ago; he was working for Myotismon." "Who knows how many there are?" replied Tai; then he looked over to the other digimon present at the dam.

There, they saw a band of Tuskmon, Monochromon, Tyrannomon and Golemon being put to work, while DemiDevimon, in the tone of voice that Koromon picked up earlier, screeched out orders, "Alright! Be careful with that cable, you guys! Remember, Lady Pridemon wants this thing done by morning, so get moving! You there (Golemon)! Hup to it; you're not getting' paid for overtime! Hurry up, and cover up this path! Let's go, let's go! We ain't got all night!"

Koromon blinked, "Did you hear that? They're working for Pridemon." Tai nodded, but in wonder he asked, "Yeah, but… What exactly are they doing?" Koromon replied, "It looks like they're making an extension on the dam." Tai then suggested, "Let's get down there and take a closer look."

Indeed, they skidded down the slope to get a closer look at the construction going on, and hid behind what seemed to be a secluded pile of rubble.

They peeked out from behind the rubble and noticed that the Tuskmon were carefully placing a long, dark chord in the bed of the river, while the Golemon buried it with clay. Koromon kept his eye on the bossy DemiDevimon, and whispered to Tai, "Maybe I should digivolve and smash him." "No," Tai whispered back, "let's not endanger the other digimon. Let's just wait it out until we find out what they're doing here."

Wait, they did, until the bossy little DemiDevimon called out, "Hey! Somebody bring that pile over here. We need more cover-up!" Obeying the order was a Tuskmon, who scooped up the very pile of rubble that Tai and Koromon were hiding behind.

Now that they were in clear sight, DemiDevimon whipped himself around and gasped, "Huh? …HEY! It's those bratty kids! GET THEM!"

Though they really didn't want to, the rock and dinosaur digimon felt that they had no choice; so they turned around to face the heroes, and charged at them fiercely.

Tai and Koromon had no time to fight back, so all they did was scream and run, dodging everything from tossed rocks to flame-throwers, until at last they were cast into a deep ditch, about a mile away from the dam construction.

The dinosaurs and rocks overlooked the place where the heroes had fallen, and then the bossy little DemiDevimon perched himself on a Golemon and shouted, "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Somebody find those punks, before they ruin the plans!"

Out of fear, two Tuskmon skidded down into the ditch to find out where the heroes had fallen, but their search was in vain. All too quickly they gave up, and headed back up to where DemiDevimon was waiting for them.

When the coast was finally clear, Tai and Koromon peeked out from their hiding place, which was a small brush just at the base of the ditch. He didn't know it at first, but something was slightly different about Tai, as Koromon would soon discover.

With adrenalin pumping inside of him, Tai showed off his typical die-hard gaze as he shook a fist in anger; "I can't believe it! All this time we were here, those poor digimon have been slaves of Pridemon! It really burns me, how every time we're sent here another bad guy's pushing around all these innocent digimon! I swear, once I get my hands on that nasty Sin, I'm gonna show her who's boss!"

"Uh, Tai?" Koromon peeped.

"First, I'm gonna wipe that ugly smile off her face once and for all!"

"Tai?"

"Then, I'm gonna plow 'er into the ground, until I wipe that ugly face off her face! And I'm gonna do the same thing to all the other-"

"Your hair's on fire."

"Wha??"

"YOUR HAIR'S ON FIRE!!!"

Tai looked up; the tip of it WAS on fire, thanks to the previous attack!

"AAAAHH! AAAAAAAHHHH!!! OH MY GOD!! AAHHH!" screamed both human and digimon, as the panic-stricken Tai ran frantically to the small stream nearby.

Just as frantically, he threw his entire head into the water to put out the small flames in his hair. Surely, even after this, he'd still have plenty of hair to show off. But that was no longer a concern, once he realized the other object in the water…

He flipped his head out of the water and gasped, "Hey, Koromon! I think I found one of those dark cables!" "Lemmie see," bounced the curious Koromon.

Tai was able to lift it slightly above the water; as he and Koromon examined it, he suggested, "Let's find out where it leads to." Very carefully, Tai held onto the cable and allowed it to lead him away, with Koromon following close by.

Sure enough, the dark cable led Tai and Koromon right to the base of another mountain just a few miles West of Rock City. The first thing they saw looked like the effect of a geyser at first; but then they looked more closely at it, and gasped in horror at the sight. "Tai," muttered Koromon in worry, "that looks like a geyser, but it's spouting pure data!"

Tai focused on the fact that this peak they were looking at had a blue glow to it, and it was oddly shaped like a spire. Tai's bottom lip quivered as he replied, "…That's not a geyser, Koromon; it's not even a mountain, either… it's a Power Spine!"

"A what?" blinked the little digimon; Tai replied, "Izzy sent me a message earlier; he said we'd know those things once we saw 'em, and I'll bet my Crest that this is it!" He went on to say, "If Pridemon's bossing these Rock City digimon around, then that must mean that this is her Power Spine."

Then Tai glanced back down at the dark cable that they were following; sure enough, it led straight into the side of the Power Spine. Then, as if a light bulb turned on in his head, Tai gasped, "Oh! …I think I get it now. Those digimon are being forced to draw the Power Spine's control over to their city."

Koromon frowned, "So they're using the dam to bring it over here?" Tai paused to scratch his head, "I'm not sure… If they really wanted the Spine's power over there, why hide it?"

Then, another light bulb turned on in Tai's head; "Oh!" he gasped again, "They're gonna try to use it on US!" "That makes sense," nodded Koromon. Then the little digimon jumped, "We gotta tell Matt and Gabumon!"

"Oh no, you don't!" barked a familiar voice. Tai and Koromon turned around and gasped to see DemiDevimon standing atop a cliff above them. With the little demonic Rookie stood three Golemon, each armed with a gathering of rocks and debris.

The heroes let out a scream, but that seemed to be the only thing they could do, for DemiDevimon fluttered above the Golemon and shouted, "NOW! Hit 'em with everything you got! And don't even think about disobeying me, or I'll tell Pridemon! Now do it!"

Pridemon definitely made her mark in Rock City, for the Golemon were only slightly reluctant to obey DemiDevimon. Each of them tossed the rocks and debris down the cliff, where they would crash right down on Tai and Koromon.

The heroes tried to run for it, but found themselves trapped between the cliff's wall and the deep river. Thinking fast, Tai grabbed Koromon and used himself as a shield so that the impact of the falling rocks wouldn't hurt the Trainee so much.

In mere seconds, the heroes were buried in a pile of dust and rock. DemiDevimon giggled in victory, "Heheheheheh! Good work; they'll be there all night! Now, get back to work on the dam, before I summon the mistress!"

Feeling overpowered by intimidation, the Golemon only grumbled as they reluctantly followed DemiDevimon back to their city.

It seemed as though DemiDevimon was right; all there was to show where Tai and Koromon were was the black night sky, the flowing river, the untouched Power Spine in the distance, and a silent calm of the rubble at the bottom of the cliff.

If they weren't trying to dig their way out, Tai and Koromon were mostly likely knocked unconscious. Either way, they wouldn't surface until morning…

On that same day, early on in the morning, the blue Trailmon that had picked up Veedramon Zero at the northern forest station was already well on its way through a grassland in the northwest, when something unexpected happened.

Zero was sitting by a window all alone in the cart, sulking in his gloom and disappointment over the fact that his best friend, Taichi, seemed to have had chosen an Agumon over him.

The Trailmon's voice could be heard asking him, "Hey buddy, I got a couple stops to make before I head back to the beach cities down south. You wanna make a pit stop anywhere?" The aged Veedramon just replied, "Just keep going… I'm going no place special…" Then under his breath he added, "Not anymore."

And then it happened; a silver laser in the sky came down to earth like a comet, miles from the Trailmon tracks. It caught the weary eye of Zero, who gasped and widened his eyes like a cartoon character (which he is, but let's not be cynical here).

"What the??" he gasped as he then turned to the window to see what caught the corner of his eye. But when he did turn to see it, it was gone. Something was definitely out there, and so he was coaxed to announce, "Trailmon, stop!"

The voice of the Trailmon said, "But you said to keep going just a second ago." Zero argued, "Well, I changed my mind! Stop!"

"Well, my next stop's not till-"

"NOW!"

**_SCREE-EE-EE-EE-EE-EE-EE-EECH!!_**

The sudden stop made Trailmon's wheels combust into little sparks for a moment, but other than that, no serious damage was done.

Before long, Zero had hopped out of the Trailmon's cart, tipped him with, "Thanks!" and headed off into the vast grassy field in which he saw the comet-like light.

"You call that a dodge!? Honestly, Jun, I've seen cement dodge rain better than that! Fire another one, buddy!"

"X-LASER!"

**WHOOSH! – BOOM!**

Finally, a mystery has been solved: the comet effects were coming from Ex-Veemon's "X-Laser" attack, and the reason why he was using it was for a training program that his partner Davis had made up for his sister Jun, and her partner Penguinmon. The problem? Jun and Penguinmon weren't into it at all.

They tried to play the game of "Extreme Dodgeball," but the Champions attacks caused more then just small craters in the ground.

After two or three tries, Jun and Penguinmon were lying on the ground, exhausted and covered with dust from the earth's debris.

Like a drill sergeant, Davis approached the two of them with Ex-Veemon by his side and chided, "You call yourselves Digi-Destined? You gotta do better than that if you're gonna go up against Greedmon in his Power Spine tower! Now drop and give me twenty!"

His sister glared at him with half-open eyes; "We're already on the ground." "Then let's go! Let's go!" insisted her brother; "Ex-Veemon, you go join them; drop and give me twenty!" His partner "dropped" by di-digivolving, and then blinked, "Twenty what?" "Push-ups!" barked the young man; "Let's go! Move it! Move it!"

In a matter of minutes, Jun, Veemon and Penguinmon were all trying their hardest at doing push-ups, and only Veemon was succeeding at it while the other two were as quick about it as slugs.

Davis continued on his drilling by marching back and forth in front of the three of them, saying, "I know this is hard, but getting through Greedmon's tower's gonna be even harder! Your little friend here won't be able to become an Ultimate without your Crest, so if we just keep working out, he might be strong enough to cause some damage!"

With her arms shaking, Jun complained, "Well, why do we have to fight? Why can't we just sneak in and out of there?" "Yeah," added the even shakier Penguinmon; "My flippers can't take much more of this pushing."

Davis replied with, "We have an old saying back in our world: No pain, no gain! The more you work at this, the better you'll get at it! My own dear, sweet sister used to drill me on that when I was failing in school, and I've OWED her for that for years!"

Jun sighed, "I guess this was coming a long time ago…" Soon after that, she collapsed, and Penguinmon promptly followed her. "Come on, get up!" Davis demanded with a stomp of his foot; "We're not getting anywhere!" "You got that right," moaned Jun; "You made us lose our legs!"

"…Daisuke?"

Davis's eyes bulged at the sound of a voice coming from the small hill behind him. He didn't recognize it, but somehow he knew it was directed at him. With a gasp, he whipped himself around to see who had said that name. Sure enough, there he was standing on the hill with a gleam in his eye that spelled out nostalgia: Veedramon Zero. "Daisuke," he muttered, "…is that you?"

Davis didn't know him at all, and took offense at this digimon's comment; he narrowed an eye and asked with a mean tone, "Did you just call me Dice-Gay??" His sister knew better and yelled at him, "No, stupid; he said Daisuke!" "Oh," blinked the clueless Davis.

He took a moment to breathe, and then Zero blinked, "…Isn't that your name? Daisuke Motomiya?" Surprised at how close this strange new digimon was to the truth, Davis replied, "Well, that is my last name, but… My first name's Davis!"

The aged Veedramon approached the humans and young digimon graciously with a smile, as if he totally ignored what the young man just said.

Meanwhile, Jun and the digimon got to their feet, recovering from their weakness instantly. "Davis," Jun asked softly, "who is this?" He turned to her and replied just as softly as to not let the big blue guy hear, "I don't know."

But the aged Veedramon did hear, and he smiled, "It's me! Zero! …Veedramon Zero; we met a long time ago and had some adventures together, with Taichi. Don't you remember?"

There was a pause; Davis had to think fast and recollect every shred of memories he had had in the past eight years. Sadly, none of them had shown signs of Veedramon Zero, and so he was poised to say, "I'm sorry, I-"

"Humor him, Davis," nudged his sister all of a sudden. Perhaps she was curious to hear more about the aged Veedramon, or perhaps she felt sorry for him. Whatever the reason why she wanted him to play this part, Davis understood and corrected, "Uh, what I meant to say was… I'm sorry I forgot."

The old Veedramon let out a relieved smile, "Aww, that's alright! It's been what, twenty years? Well, for me at least; you look like you only aged ten! Aww, it's so good to see a familiar face again, after all this time!"

Jun blinked, "Wow… Why does time move twice as slow here?" Zero replied with, "I'm not really sure," but then he looked and saw the younger version of himself standing beside Davis, and cooed with delight, "Awww, and look at this little guy!"

Then like a member of the family, he knelt down to Veemon's level, picked him up proudly and smiled, "You're Daisuke's Veemon, aren't you? Aren't you happy to see your ol' Uncle Zero?" Confused and a little scared, Veemon giggled nervously with seat drops; "Eh-heh… Heh-heh-heh… Da-vis??"

Seeing his little partner glance over to him for help, the boy who would be Daisuke replied, "Uh yes, he's my Veemon. You seem to know him, too." Zero put the little one down and said, "I remember most of the past vaguely, but I do remember seeing you, Daisuke."

Davis just stared at him blankly; did this Veedramon really know him, or was this a case of mistaken identity?

Tickled by all of this, Jun asked kindly, "So, Zero, where're you coming from?" "Oh," he replied with a look of pain, "…I was just coming back from the northern mountains… I, uh, thought something was there for me to see… but I was wrong." He didn't want to be reminded of what looked like the ultimate betrayal, and so he changed the subject with, "So, kids, what're you all doing here?" Davis answered, "We're trying to get ready for a big battle; one of the Sin Digimon has my sister's Crest, and we-"

"SISTER?" blasted the shocked Zero, as his bug eyes were then set on Jun; "You never told me you had a sister!" He then took a bow and said to her, "My lady! Pleased to make your acquaintance." Jun was flattered by this and giggled, "It's Jun, and the pleasure's all mine."

Davis grew impatient and huffed, "Okay, can we please get back to training now? We got a big fight ahead of us!" Never backing down from a challenge before, Zero pointed to himself and stated, "I'm still a great fighter. Why don't you let me come with you?"

Reluctant in replying, Davis turned to his sister for an answer, then after not getting one, he turned back to the Veedramon and said, "Are you sure? It's gonna be really dangerous."

But then Jun argued, "Come on, Dav- I mean Daisuke- we're gonna need all the help we can get!" "It's all underwater," remarked her narrow-eyed brother.

Then Zero smiled proudly, "I'm great underwater! I've been in Sea City, which is the home of Oceanamon herself! Maybe we can make a stop down there and see her, and she can help us get to… uh… Where exactly are you going?"

Davis then stunned his impatience long enough to say, "It's called a Power Spine; there're these evil Sin Digimon that're using them to control the whole digi-world. We gotta knock 'em down one by one, before they turn everything evil, or something."

"Right," nodded Jun.

The aged Veedramon then stretched himself and said, "Well then, we better get moving! We can use the Trailmon to take the fast way down there, and-" "Actually," smiled Davis, "we have an even faster way to go!"

He then turned to the digimon Rookies nearby and nodded, "Ready?" "Mm-hmm," they nodded back in reply.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO……………………. EX-VEEMON!"

"PENGUINMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………….SABERDRAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"Wow," blinked the impressed Veedramon, at the sight of his slimmer, winged alternate version of himself and the giant black bird next to him. Jun was the first to mount Saberdramon, and waved to the boys, "Come on!"

And soon enough, the earth-bound heroes were carried off into the air by Saberdramon, with Ex-Veemon not far away. Off they flew, to the south and to their next adventure.

That same morning…

**Thump…. Thump! … **

**BOOM!**

**"RAAAAAAARRR!!"**

Greymon was never one to take things lightly, not even when it came to wake up and force his way out of the pile of rubble in which he and his partner Tai were trapped all night long.

"Tai," he muttered, as he realized that his human friend was still out of it. The giant dinosaur gently scooped up his dust-covered friend into his claw, freeing him at last from the rock prison.

Tai coughed and gagged himself to consciousness; "Ugh…" he sighed as he brushed the dirt out of his tangled hair, "…what happened?" "Sorry, Tai," frowned Greymon; "I just woke up, and I realized we were buried in that sand trap."

"Sand…" muttered the confused human. Then as he coughed, he gasped in realization, "Oh-(Cough!)-oh! Right! The Power Spine. It…"

He looked around to find it, and so did Greymon; to their shock, it seemed to have vanished; all that stood in its place was a narrow mountaintop. "What the-!" gasped Tai; "It's gone!" gasped Greymon; "But how??"

Tai narrowed his eyes, "Pridemon must be hiding it from us…" He was still brushing the dist off his sleeves when he added, "There's no time to lose! We gotta warn Matt and Gabumon about all this, before it's too late!" "Right," agreed the giant dinosaur.

He then placed the still dusty Tai on his helmeted head, and off he marched back to Rock City.

By the time they got there, and Greymon had reversed back into Agumon, Matt was already playing one of his songs in the concert hall. As usual, he had a captive audience of dinosaurs and living rocks.

Tai and Agumon dashed onto the stage, interrupting the song altogether, and paused to breathe. Sweat was already running down their necks, which mixed in with the dirt that remained on their bodies; at the sight of them, Matt sneered, "Where've you guys been? …You're a mess."

"Matt," panted Tai, "…There's… a problem! We gotta get outta here, now." Matt turned away and refused, "No, I like it here. These guys love me; I'm famous!"

Tai's eyes widened, "Dude! We got us a world to save; don't you remember? The Digi-Keepers? The Sins?"

"So what?" muttered the blonde; "Let the other guys handle it; we could use the break for once."

Tai and Agumon paused to exchange frowns to each other, then Tai tried again, "Listen, Matt; there's a Power Spine near here, and it's-"

Then, as Matt whipped his head around to glare Tai in the eye, he could finally see that Matt's blue eyes were darkened and without irises; the blonde hissed, "Look! I'm sick and tired of fixing everybody else's problems. If those Keepers are so weak, then they deserve to be caught!"

Tai and Agumon gasped in horror; it seemed that they were too late to warn Matt about the Power Spine's effects, for they were already working on Matt. "…oh no…" muttered Tai in despair; "it's started already…"

That's when Gabumon showed up; he had been working all night and all morning on that new song Matt wanted to write for Sora; now it was completed and already put on paper. Joyously, Gabumon approached his partner and smiled, "Matt! Hey, Matt! I did it; I finished the song, now you can sing it!"

Tai saw him coming, and just when the little Rookie came his way, Tai took him by the arm and softly warned, "Get away from him, Gabu… He's not himself right now."

Stunned Gabumon gasped, "What's wrong with him? …Matt?" He looked to his lifelong friend and partner for answers, but to Tai's fear, the young man glared at Gabumon with those dark eyes and sneered, "What do you want?"

The shy little creature gulped, "…Umm… I finished your song. You can play it whenever you want now, Matt. I hope you like it." He then bravely took a step forward, when Matt declared pompously, "I don't need a new song; I'm just fine with the ones I have." Gabumon blinked, "But this is the one you write for Sora. You said she'd like it."

Tai and Agumon took a step back, fearing that this would not end well, as Matt replied to Gabumon, "You're always hounding me; why don't you hang out with someone else for a change? You know, like someone who actually cares?"

Even though Tai knew better, he remarked, "Listen to yourself, Matt! You'd never talk to Gabumon like that." "I can talk to him however I want," snapped the young musician; then he turned back to Gabumon and harshly said, "If you really want to help me out, then you'll leave me alone! I'm a little busy up here, and there's a huge crowd of digimon that wanna hear my music."

Gabumon frowned, "But I just-"

"Just go!" barked his friend; the tone of his voice was sharp enough to send a chill down the little Rookie's spine.

He had no choice now but to back down; and so he did, with a heavy heart he declined from the stage and moped away into a corner. As he did, Tai called to him, "Don't worry, Gabumon! We'll get to the bottom of this!"

Tai then turned back to Matt and harshly declared, "And you! I don't care if you're not yourself right now; you'll be sorry once this is all over. Come on, Agumon; let's get that Power Spine before he gets any worse!" "Yeah," peeped Agumon.

It was then, as they were turning towards the exit lane of the concert hall, when Tai and Agumon caught sight of the Rockmon Mayor. They watched him tip-toeing away from the concert hall, looking timid as usual.

They knew this was an opportunity knocking, and they took it instantly.

Tai and Agumon carefully followed the Mayor of Rock City from the concert hall to a downtown alleyway. There, Tai had already slipped into his battle gear, and once he had the Mayor right where he wanted him, he grabbed him from around a corner and forced him into a corner.

Normally, a Rockmon would be a bit of a challenge even for a human in special armor; but this one was obviously a victim of Pridemon's power, and shook with fear at the sight of Battle-Geared Tai.

"Alright!" Tai snorted fiercely as he raised a claw to the Rockmon's face, "You know what's going on around here, now tell us!" The Rockmon glanced at him and Agumon, and sweat-dropped with defeat, "Okay, okay. I'll tell you…"

Then he gulped, "Pridemon's Power Spine's been hiding in the valley all this time; it's been zapping us of all our courage; now we're all too scared to disobey her, or her little demon flunkie."

Tai narrowed an eye, "So that explains why you guys are such wimps, but what about Matt? What's making him act so weird?"

The Mayor replied timidly, "The Power Spine's been connected through a dark cable; it goes straight from the Spine itself to our dam. Pridemon's using our new source of power to charge the Spine's dark energy all over town, and…"

He paused to take a breath, then he concluded, "And your friend is being corrupted, through his own music."

Tai gasped, "Oh! So that's why you wanted him to play his music; so that Pridemon could control him!" "Yes," nodded the Mayor; "…but it's not fool-proof. You see, Pridemon knows just about every song your friend's made. So, if there's any chance there'd be a new song…?"

Tai then glanced to Agumon, who gave him a nod of affirmation; "…There is a new song."

Not too long after this confrontation, Agumon found his way back to the concert hall to find Gabumon. He found the little dragon in wolf's clothing sitting by the stage, looking very depressed.

The little yellow dinosaur wasted no time in running up to Gabumon and explain the whole story to him. Nobody else seemed to care, because they were all rehearsing onstage.

Once he got the whole story, Gabumon blinked, "Are you sure about this, Agumon? What if it doesn't work?" Agumon replied, "We've gotta give it a try, otherwise we'll never get Matt back." Gabumon frowned in horror to think that he'd never have the old Matt back, so he nodded, "…Okay. I'll talk to him, but it won't be easy."

Agumon smiled to him, "You can do it, Gabumon. I know you're shy, but you'd do anything for your friends. Even if that means you gotta push them around." Gabumon smiled back, now feeling confident in himself. "Go and help Tai find the Power Spine," he said; "I'll do my best with Matt."

"Right," replied Agumon, and he took off. When he did, Gabumon took a moment to think over what he needed to say to his human partner, while gazing almost blankly at the piece of paper, which had written on it the new song, in his claw.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Warp Digivolve ------------

"AGUMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO……….. (Greymon) ………. (Metal Greymon) ………WAR GREYMON!"

------------ End vision ------------

While Tai had had own body armor painted in black, silver and gold, War Greymon was the real McCoy; a humanoid dinosaur with the ability to fly like a jet. And fly like a jet he did, to the valley where Pridemon's Power Spine was last spotted.

Tai was already there, flying around in his battle gear in a frantic search for the Power Spine. "I know it's here somewhere!" he shouted to himself, when War Greymon promptly arrived.

War Greymon took it upon himself to start glancing around for clues too; he concluded, "I'll bet those digimon buried everything; the dark cable and the Power Spine. Now we'll have to guess where they are."

Tai frowned, "That means we gotta level this entire valley!" "I know," sighed his Mega partner, "it's risky… But it's the only chance we've got."

Tai knew there was no other way, so he nodded, "Okay… Let's attack the ground until we get the dark cable. Then that'll lead us to the Spine." It was a good idea indeed, and to show that he understood, War Greymon nodded.

"TERROR BARRAGE!" Tai started; his balls of sun-fire wasn't as large as War Greymon's "Terra Force," but firing many at one time like fastballs at a homerun derby seemed like a good-enough. Like large bits of hail, they rained down on the earth until one area was completely leveled, but alas, no dark cable.

Next, it was War Greymon's turn; "TERRA FORCE!" With a fireball the size of an SUV or two, one would think that he could incinerate the hidden dark cable easily; but alas, he must have missed it because nothing seemed to happen but a crater in the ground.

A few more tries were all it took to awaken the frustrated Pridemon; she had been camping out in the valley all night, waiting for this scene to take place. Now she was compelled to fade into the scene like a shadow, only now she was in her true form- an elegant figure, dressed like a Queen of Hearts- or something long those lines- but with a menacing set of arms and fingers that seemed too long to even maneuver. But then one could see that they were more than fingers; they were grappling hooks as well, and when joined together back to back, they could shape out a pair of swords.

Her face was white like a mask, but her ruby-red lips hid behind them a pair of vampire-like fangs; she hissed, "You there! How dare you attack my beautiful valley!"

Tai and War Greymon heard this, and turned to her in surprise; "Oh, there you are!" Tai smugly remarked to her; "I was wondering when you'd show your ugly face, Pridemon!"

She growled, "Try all you want to find my Power Spine, you fools! But I must warn you: Keep trying like that, and you'll not only knock it down, but you'll risk deleting this entire mountain range!"

Tai and War Greymon glanced at each other, and then Tai replied, "Okay then; we'll just take _you _out first." The Sin then gave him a small grin, "Heh… Fat chance."

Gabumon knew he had to take a stand, and that the time to do it was now. He entered the concert hall again, this time with a fierce look in his eyes. He marched up to the stage, where Matt and the band of Gotsumon were already gearing up for their next song, as the audience continued to chant for a show.

"Matt," peeped the little Rookie in wolf's clothing; with blank eyes, Matt replied coldly, "Whaddaya want now, Gabumon?" His little partner shook off the fear at last and said, "It's okay, Matt… I understand now why you're not yourself. But I wanna help you get over it."

"Leave me alone," warned the entranced human, as he started to tune his guitar.

Gabumon stood his ground and continued, "I know that it's your music that's hypnotizing you, and I know Pridemon is behind it. She knows all your songs… except one. This one."

With that, the little Rookie held up a sheet of music paper and explained, "This is the song you wanted to write for Sora. I finished it for you, and now you're gonna play it."

Ignoring him, Matt turned on the microphone and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna resume the concert in just a moment." This didn't phase Gabumon; he blinked, "I know you're in there, my friend, and I know you can hear me. If you won't play the song, then I'll start it for you."

The brave little Rookie made his way to the edge of the stage, ready to jump on it, but nearby sat DemiDevimon, the small yet useful servant of the great Daemon. He saw Gabumon coming and knew his plan, and called out to the nearby bodyguard Monochromon, "Hey! Stop that guy, he's gonna ruin the show!"

The Monochromon did indeed charge at Gabumon, but the little Rookie saw him coming; not only did he dodge the attack, but he jumped up on the monster's face and used it to boost himself up onto the stage.

Desperately, DemiDevimon decided to take care of this himself, and charged at Gabumon. "BLUE BLASTER!" countered Gabumon; with his blue dragon breath, he sent the little pipsqueak of a demon flying. Not only did he fly, but he also bounced off the walls backstage like a pinball, until he bounced right out of the scene.

This commotion was enough to make Matt and his band of Gotsumon pause and stare at him. For a moment, there was peace.

But then, Gabumon climbed up onto the piano on stage, set the sheet of music paper before him, and turned to the Gotsumon; "'Evolution of My Heart,' you guys. D minor/F Major."

They had already learned this song from Gabumon himself, and nodded to him to show that they were ready to play it. Matt, on the other hand, was lost and blinked, "Huh?" Before he could argue, Gabumon had already begun to play the beginning chords on piano…

(Begin "Evolution of My Heart," an original song that changes from D minor to F Major between verses and the chorus; believe it or not, this song was inspired by Yellowcard's "My Only One," but it does not follow the same melody or rhythm)

Matt stood there like a lost child, as Gabumon opened up the song, followed by the Gotsumon introducing their drums and guitars to the beat. Gabumon had no choice but to start the lyrics on his own, and for a digimon with a throaty voice like his, he didn't do too bad of a job:

(Gabumon) _I'm sick of this; let's break this wall_

_That stands here between us two_

_I know you're mad, and I know why_

_I just wasn't clear with-_

_You caught me lying, when I said I'm over you_

(Gabumon/Matt)_ I tell you now, it wasn't true!_

Finally, after a brief moment of forgetting his place, Matt's memories kicked in, and with a newfound confidence in himself, he took over the lyrics from there.

_You're the reason why I breathe,_

_You mean everything to me, you're my salvation_

_All the lovers in the world,_

_Please believe that you're my only one_

_I must admit, I made mistakes_

_I should have known better than_

_To go behind your back like that_

_I just didn't know then_

_What I was feeling was more than a childish crush_

_Now nothing matters more than us!_

_You're the reason why I breathe,_

_You mean everything to me, you're my salvation_

_All the lovers in the world,_

Please believe that you're my only one 

(Song continues)

Pridemon could hear the second chorus being played from where she stood outside. She gasped in horror, hearing a song she had never heard before being played; "What is that?? Is that a new song I hear?"

She let her guard down for one moment to glance in the direction of the concert hall, and gasped, "How could he? That little-" She was then cut off by the impact of War Greymon and Battle-Gear Tai ramming themselves into her side.

(Song continues)

Very quickly, as the song progressed, Matt was feeling like his old self again, and it showed in his eyes, which were now back to their original blue.

_I've started an evolution of_

_The pain in my heart, and now it's love_

_There's no turning back, I must move on _(Sing it, Gabu!)

(Gabumon)_ And I want you to come along!_

_You're the reason why I breathe,_

_You mean everything to me, you're my salvation_

_All the lovers in the world,_

_Please believe that you're my only one_

_You're the reason I'm alive,_

_You just brighten up my life, just like the sun_

_All the lovers in the world,_

_Please believe that you're my only one_

_You're my only one!_

(Song ends)

The audience was enthralled by the joyful attitude of the song, and as it ended, they gave the band a standing ovation. This ovation was unlike any other; they honestly enjoyed that unexpected performance.

Matt paused to let the crowd's cheers take him in, and led the band on their bows. But then, he turned to the little Rookie at the piano, and smiled. Gabumon smiled back, but when then slightly surprised to see his old friend approach him.

As he faced Gabumon, Matt gave a frown, "Gabumon… I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk. I dunno what came over me." Gabumon smiled graciously, "It's okay, Matt. Pridemon was just using you, but I knew the new song would snap you out of it."

The young man smiled as he scratched the little Rookie's head in gratitude, "What would I do without you, lil' buddy?" Gabumon blushed, "Actually, it was really Tai and Agumon that came up with-" Alarmed, he two of them looked at each other more closely and gasped, "Tai!"

At that point, Pridemon had no choice but to fight, so she pressed her extra-long fingers together and formed two swords and lashed at her enemies. War Greymon had the left sword covered, while Tai worked his way around the right.

The Sin, on the other hand, was as tall as ten stories of a building, so cutting through her or her weapons had proven to be a problem due to her size alone. And on top of that, she was fast; she has all of their moves down already, and acted as though she could predict their every move.

Then, after a few minutes of sword clashing with the enemies, she had enough and forced them back with one blow of her sword-hands. She then prepared to use one of her own special attacks by moving back herself. That's when the chains around her waist began to move; they spread out around her like the tail feathers of a peacock; they had black mirrors all around them, diamond-shaped and were attached to the chains like jewels.

Then she announced it: "DEVASTATING TREACHERY!"

This was an attack Tai and War Greymon thought they would never see; out of one mirror came War Greymon's "Terra Force;" out of another, Metal Garurumon's "Ice Wolf Bite;" from another, Imperial Dramon's attack; from another, Gran Kwagamon's attack. Every single one of Pridemon's black mirrors released the exact copy of a Mega digimon that was a member of the Digi-Destined team. And they all came out at once, at these two unsuspecting souls.

Tai and War Greymon did their best to dodge each copied attack, but as Pridemon declared, "You can't dodge ALL of them!"

It was true; War Greymon did take two hits; one from Seraphimon's "Strike of The Seven Stars" and the full force of Hercules Kabuterrimon's "Giga Scissor Claw."

Tai took a hit as well, from Imperial Dramon's "Mega Crusher," and like his partner, he got slammed into a mountainside, and stayed there like a splattered fly on a window shield.

"How pathetic," cooed the overconfident Pridemon, as she lowered her chained weapons and approached her enemies; "I thought you two were the crowned jewels of Gaiamon's creations. You, Tai Kamiya, were the glue that held the team together; and you, War Greymon, were one of the first of the digimon heroes to fully evolve. …Now you're both flies on a wall. It's sad, really; I thought you were going to give me a challenge."

"You want a challenge?" growled the voice of another Digi-Destined; Pridemon was taken by surprise as she turned around to see a fast-approaching Battle-Gear Matt flying on the back of Metal Garurumon; Matt added, "Try dodging THIS!"

With the force of a hurricane, Matt and Metal Garurumon collided with Pridemon, nearly knocking the wind out of her. They had successfully hit her hard, because together they combined the Mega digimon's brute strength with the power of Matt's battle gear.

As Pridemon fell to her knees, Tai winced as he looked up at the sight of his friends and smiled, "It's Matt… He's back."

"Hit 'er with everything you got, Metal Garurumon!" roared Matt; his friend replied with, "ICE WOLF BITE!" Just like that, a series of torpedoes launched from the robotic wolf's body, and homed in on Pridemon. She took the full force, and was unscathed by it; she hissed, "Nice try, but I've already memorized that move. Let's see if YOU can take it!"

One of her chained mirrors then launched a carbon copy of "Ice Wolf Bite" at the approaching Mega hero; he was taken by surprise, and just barely dodged all of the torpedoes. Those that didn't scrape him went flying into random mountainsides and slopes.

War Greymon was almost freed from the mountainside when he uttered, "That's it… Pridemon will find the Power Spine for us…" Tai understood and quickly wiggled his way out of the mountainside to which he and his partner were pinned. He acted fast and jumped in front of Pridemon, just as she was about to go after his friends, and chided, "Come on, Pridemon. You call that an attack? I dare you to try it again."

The Sin narrowed her red eyes, "You're too big for your britches, little man;" she then took his challenge and roared, "DEVASTATING TREACHERY!"

Like the tail feathers of a peacock, her series of chained mirrors unfolded again, and launched all twelve Mega attacks from the heroes. But where he had failed before in dodging them, Tai tried again by circling around the Sin as quickly as he could.

As he did so, she launched the copied attacks one by one, not yet realizing that they would find their way to every tower of rock that was visible. Tai had gotten his desired result of this; the copy of Pheonixmon's "Crimson Flame" had pierced into the side of Pridemon's hidden Power Spine.

Once a little bit of it was exposed, the whole cover-up came crumbling off. Pridemon realized too little too late what had happened, and howled, "NO-O-O!" Matt knew what to do next; he shouted, "Tai! Take care of that thing; I'll hold her off!"

Indeed, he and Metal Garurumon teamed up to hold off Pridemon, while the already battle-worn Tai and War Greymon made speed to the Power Spine.

If this wasn't an emergency, Tai and War Greymon might have enjoyed the sight of the blue sparkle of the Power Spine's interior. In fact, they did take a moment to gaze at it, while staring in awe at the massive data whirlpool. But then, they went straight to work; "Let's finish this once and for all," declared Tai with a raised fist; "Yeah," nodded his Mega partner.

Then Tai, overcome with a sense of familiarity as the others had been, raised up his battle crest and new just what to say:

"COURAGE'S LIGHT, ENERGIZE!"

With that, a bright orange beam of data shot out from his crest, into the core data, and reconfiguring it into the same shade of orange as the very symbol of the Crest of Courage. In no time, the deep blue walls were changed to bright, shiny orange.

By this time, Metal Garurumon had already been knocked out cold and, as Tsumonmon, lying helplessly on the earth, while Pridemon had Matt right where she wanted him, in her abnormally long-fingered clutch.

She was just about to impale him with her sword for a right hand, when she heard the unpleasant sound of her tower being demolished from the inside out.

Caught off guard, she glanced in the direction of the Power Spine, and just as she feared, it was already crumbling to bits as the heroes of Courage came flying out of it.

As quick as lightning, Tai and War Greymon approached her in mid-air, both of them aiming their respective claws at her; "Let 'im go," warned Battle-Gear Tai, as War Greymon growled with him. At first, Pridemon had the look of shock due to her sudden defeat, but then to the surprise of her enemies, she snickered. Then she obeyed Tai by releasing the weakened Matt from her deadly grip.

He went falling, and crashed down by Metal Garurumon's side; once side by side, the two of them di-digivolved; Matt shed his armor, while his partner warped back into his In-Training form, Tsunomon.

Then, to the amazement of her enemies, Pridemon clapped her vicious hands together and modestly said, "Bravo, bra-vo." She then folded her hands together and smiled, "It seems I've underestimated you two, but then, you'll still have to defeat me."

War Greymon replied, "We're not afraid of what happens to us, as long as we get a piece of you!" The Sin grinned, bearing her vampire-like fangs, "You simple-minded creatures have no idea what I, and my siblings, am capable of. As we speak, my brother Gluttonymon is beginning a major assault on one of your precious Digi-Keepers."

"You lie!" growled War Greymon, but Pridemon kept her cool and smiled, "If you don't believe me, then go ahead and waste your lives right now! I look forward to crushing you into the dust, just as you had my Power Spine."

On the ground below sat the dusty Matt cradling his partner Tsunomon. They overheard what was being said, and were greatly disturbed by it. Matt looked up and shouted, "Tai! What if she's telling the truth?"

Pridemon kept her focus on the confused Tai and said, "Are you really willing to risk your life, while Gaiamon remains threatened by an even greater enemy?" Tai paused, trying to think as fast as his mind would allow on which road to follow.

War Greymon, meanwhile, looked to his partner and said, "Tai… Whatever you choose, I'll follow." It was apparent now that the ball was in Tai's court, and he had to hit it now; he winced as he sighed, "Alright… We can't let anything happen to the Digi-Keepers. We gotta head back to Gaiamon, and pronto!" "Right," nodded Matt from below.

"A wise decision," nodded the overconfident Pridemon, who soon got a remark from Tai in reply, "Don't get so smug, Pridemon; we're not finished here, and we'll be back for you before you know it!" "Hmph," she muttered as she began to phase out into the air like a shadow, "…Don't be so eager to die, boy; you still have your whole life ahead of you."

War Greymon hurried to collect Matt and Tsunomon into his heavily-plated arms; "Are you two alright?" he asked them. Matt gave him a nod, and then he looked to Tai with concern; "Tai? You okay?" Tai nodded, "Yeah… As much as I'd like to give that Sin what she deserves, we gotta put the Digi-Keepers first. So let's get back to Gaiamon, before something bad really does happen to her."

There were no arguments there, and not too long afterwards, the four of them took off; a gust of wind followed their trail in the air.

Not too far from this scene stood the Rockmon Mayor and several of his citizens. They watched in awe as the heroes left their beloved Rock town in a flash. As his top hat and ribbon danced in the wind, the Mayor held up the battered DemiDevimon by a wing, and threw him into the air; "Get out of here," he growled with newfound confidence, "before we make mincemeat outta you!"

The little demon skidded through the air, but then caught the wind in his wings; as he fluttered, he hissed, "You just wait! This place is all gonna belong to the Sin Digimon, and THEN you'll be shakin' in your boots! ALL o' ya!" He then made a timid snicker as he carried himself off into the air, and out of sight.

The Mayor of Rock City then turned his attention back to the direction in which the heroes left. He let out a sigh, "There they go again… off to save the digital world, one city at a time. They truly are legends in the making."

The Rock Town citizens nodded in agreement; they knew that they had their freedom back, and it was thanks to those fated travelers.

Now those fated travelers were heading back to where they started, in the very heart of the continent where they feared Gaiamon, Keeper of the digital Land, was in jeopardy.

TO BE CONTINUED 


	21. The Road Less Traveled

_"Tai and I found a village in the mountains called Rock City- and no, I don't mean Detroit. We didn't know it at first, but Pridemon's Power Spine was there, and it was allowing her to rule the digimon that lived there. Once we arrived, she tried to use my own music against me, to try to influence me into breaking away from my friends. But Gabumon and the others were too smart for her, and thanks to a brand new song, I was able to snap out of it. But now we know what she's capable of, and she's nowhere near done with us yet."_

-Matt

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-One: "The Road Less Traveled"**

During all this time, while Tai and Matt had conquered the odds in Rock City, Kellen had been focused on opening a portal gate to Limbo, in hopes to check on his friend and mentor, Gennai. He was doing so by chanting a spell in front of a wall covered in ancient digital codes, which were glowing in syncopation.

All the while, Culumon had waited ever so patiently for any signs of success on Kellen's part. And then, to his surprise (which showed thanks to the enlargement of his koala-like ears), the wall by which Kellen was chanting started to glow blue.

This was a sign that the spell was finally working; "Kellen!" cheered the little Culumon, "The wall's changing!" Kellen opened his eyes halfway to see it for himself; indeed, his spell was working, for what appeared to be a data stream painted its way across the wall.

Culumon approached it and muttered, "What is that?" Kellen stopped chanting at last and explained, "It's a fractal code. It's pure data that makes up the physical form of an object or creature in the digital world." The fractal code broke itself apart before their eyes, revealing a dark atmosphere behind it.

"Finally," Kellen blinked, "there it is…"

"Is it Limbo?" asked Culumon; "It is," nodded Kellen. The young boy then stood up and moved in closer to the portal gate to get a better look through it.

Like his shadow, Culumon moved up behind him to see it for himself. "Do you see Gennai?" asked the little digimon. "Not yet," muttered Kellen; his eyes were so focused on the darkness of Limbo that he had no time to pay attention to his little companion.

"GENNAI!" he started to call out; "Gennai, can you hear me?? Are you alright??" At first, there was no answer, but then a flash of soft light came zipping left and right. Kellen and Culumon gasped at first glance at this; it was the light of another dimensional gate in the distance.

They soon saw more than one gate, spinning in whirlpool motion and snaking their way across the endless plain of Limbo. Kurumon felt tempted to push his tiny hand through the portal gate, to see if he could feel Limbo's atmosphere, but just in time Kellen pushed him back and gasped, "No, don't touch it… You'll fall in and you'll be lost, maybe forever." The little digimon pulled in his ears and frowned, "Aww, I'm sorry Kellen."

Again, Kellen tried to call out to Gennai, and once again only silence responded. That is, until he heard the distant sound of electric swords clashing together. The young boy looked up in surprise; "Oh!" he gasped, "Do you hear that?"

They heard it again; a distant clashing sound. It could have only been the clashing swords of Gennai and Daru, still at it after all this time. Soon enough, they were spotted beyond the snaky dimension gates.

Kellen's eyes lit up with concern, "It's Gennai… He's still fighting Daru."

The fight would come to them soon enough; like the wind, the two duelists flew across the endless void of Limbo, around one dimension gate after another, flinging their swords at one another. It became clear to Kellen that not only was he unable to help Gennai, but that the duelists were coming way too close to their opened portal gate; one false move could have proven dangerous.

"I've got to close the gate," said Kellen wisely; he started the process already by waving his hands at the gate, signaling it to close. "Hurry!" warned Culumon, "Here they come!"

Then what happened next happened too fast; the two Preservers didn't even get to see that a gate was open to limbo, and that Kellen and Culumon were on the other side of it, so they flew right by it inadvertently. "Kellen, lookout!" hollered little Culumon; he saw that Gennai and Daru were waving their swords a little too closely to the portal gate for a moment. The little digimon then tried to force the boy out of the way by jumping on his head.

And then…

In a flash, Kellen looked up and saw that the Preservers had passed by, a little too closely for comfort. And just as quickly as they had come, they had now gone.

The young boy quickly continued the process of closing the portal gate by chanting a new spell, a counter spell. The gate had already begun to shut, when Kellen finally realized what had happened; he took a hand to his head, and felt that something was missing…

"Culumon," he muttered in shock.

Indeed, Culumon was no longer there; had he disappeared? No; Kellen glanced out at what was visibly left of Limbo, and he realized with a look of horror that Culumon had been caught by the long, dark sash of Daru's robe. There the little digimon dangled, screaming for help; "He-e-elp! Help!! Kellen!"

"CULUMON!" Kellen hollered back in vain.

He knew that he had to rescue his little friend, but it was too late; the portal gate was already nearing its completion in shutting its door. When it did, the young boy slammed his fists on it in frustration. "NO-O-O!" he howled in despair; "Culumon! …Come back!! …_Culumo-o-on…"_

Culumon would not be in danger for very long; in a matter of seconds, he had broken free of Daru's sash. But just as he did so, he was whisked toward a large whirlpool-like dimension gate. Tried as he could, he couldn't fight off its gravitational pull, and found himself getting sucked into the vortex.

He was on his way to another digital world, one slightly different than the one the Digi-Destined were in. But like the previous one, there would be a connection between it and another Earth, which means he would soon find more human friends, and more digimon to encounter…

But as for Kellen, he was now officially alone. He knelt down at the wall, through which he had tried to contact his mentor Gennai. With tears streaming down his face, he felt like he had failed as a Preserver, and as a friend to both Gennai and Culumon, miserably. "…What have I done?" he sniffed to himself; "…Culumon… Where did you go?…"

Where, indeed? Only time would tell…

It was on that same day when TK and Kari had reached the farthest end of the Pengea-like continent of the digital world, in the direction of its northeast.

There, by a calm sandy beach on a warm sunny day, they discovered a Power Spine- this one was owned by Lustmon. Strangely enough, this was the one Spine that seemed to have no effect on its environment; although it was digging up vital data from the planet's core, the sky was a peaceful blue, the sand was cheerfully white, the ocean was a deep blue and the plants in the background were emerald green.

"Wow, I don't remember seeing this before," blinked the curious Kari as she stared at the enormous spire. TK replied, "It kinda looks like the dark spires Ken made, when he was the Digimon Kaiser. But I thought we cleared them all."

"That's not a control spire," peeped Patamon as he was in flight; "Izzy emailed us this morning about something called Power Spines. I'll bet this is one of them."

TK gasped and reached for his digivice, knowing that Izzy's email was contained within it. He looked it up quickly and nodded, "…You're right, Patamon. These things are trying to dig up as much data from the digital world's earth as they can, and by using our crests we can shut them down." Kari then turned to him with a smile and nodded, "Well, what're you waiting for? You go for it." He nodded back, "Alrighty."

------------ Vision 1: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

(As before, TK gets the data treatment as the others during his transformation, but his data is yellow to match his crest. Also, before he digivolves, he first passes through an image of Angemon)

"TK Takaishi, Battle-Gear digivolve, based on………….. ANGEMON!"

------------ Vision 2: Digivolution- Champion ------------

"PATAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………………………… ANGEMON!"

------------ End Visions ------------

Kari and her partner Gatomon smiled in wonder as their friends now looked very much alike; one was the original Angemon, and the other was a young man that simply dressed similar to him. Without wasting any time, the two angels swooped into the Power Spine…

…and headed straight for the giant whirlpool of unearthed data. TK held out his crest to the data and yelled,

"HOPE'S LIGHT, ENERGIZE!"

And just like that, the crest poured out like a torrent its own stream of yellow data. It zapped into the core data, changing its color from blue to yellow. And it didn't stop there; all of the walls inside (and outside) the tower started glowing yellow. This was a sign that the spell was working, and that the core data was now going to go back where it came from.

Within seconds, the Power Spine was shut down; what was glowing with power had now been dried up and as dull as a lead pipe. Kari and Gatomon kept watching to see TK and Angemon emerge from the interior of the Spine.

Then they flew up to the very top of the now shut down tower, and combined their "Hand of Fate" and "Angel's Calling" together; the attacks were enough to crack straight through the tower, and like a hollowed shell, it crumbled to pieces.

…But that's where things really got freaky. As if the whole thing was a curtain, the environment ripped open from where the Power Spine had stood, and disintegrated into the air like a mere illusion. In fact, it was an illusion; what was blue, serene and peaceful a moment ago had now become dark, gray and ice cold.

Kari and Gatomon were both taken in by an eerie chill in the wind, and huddled themselves and purred, "Brr!" TK and Angemon landed by their side, changing back into their earlier forms as a human and a Rookie. They too then paused to observe the drastic change of scenery and gasped in surprise.

TK blinked, "…What happened? Why did it get dark all of a sudden?" Patamon fluttered over to his partner and frowned with fear, "TK… This is the Dark Ocean."

They looked at it more closely; indeed, it looked like the same forbiddingly dark ocean that they have seen several times. The last time they had seen it was all too recent; Ken had been led here by the Keeper of Darkness himself, in an attempt to remove the dark spore from his neck by force.

All it was now was a desolate wasteland of a beach; the sand looked like dust, and the water looked disgustingly polluted, and the sky seemed cloudy, but it was due to the fact that there seemed to be no sun.

Kari moved closer to her lifelong friend and asked, "What do we do now, TK?" The young man replied calmly, "Well, that tower was obviously put here to make us think that this was a safe place; maybe now that we know what it is, there's something out there we have to face yet."

His little Rookie partner then commented, "You sound like Izzy; speak smaller, please!"

His friend then smiled, "I'm just saying, maybe we should explore this place, 'cause Daemon might be hiding something here." "Yeah," Kari nodded; "I'll bet he doesn't want us here for a reason." "It's settled then," said TK, but then Gatomon stepped forward and finally spoke, "No, it's not."

Surprised, Kari turned over to her cat-like friend and frowned, "What's the matter, Gatomon?" The little kitty of a Champion responded, "This place just isn't safe; we were here before, remember? Last time you and I were here, we ran into a group of Divermon who wanted to take us to their 'Master.'"

Kari's memories then kicked in; the incident which Gatomon was talking about happened four years ago, during the time they were battling the Kaiser. It was a moment in their lives that went away as quickly and as mysteriously as it had entered.

Kari blinked, "Oh, yeah… I remember now; we found a control spire here before. But we helped those digimon out." Gatomon then replied, "That's not what worries me; I don't think the Master they were talking about was Daemon… Something else lives out here, I just know it."

TK then looked down at the little kitty and smiled, "Aw, don't be such a scardy-cat, Gatomon." Feeling insulted, her white fur spiked up a little as she hissed, "I'm not afraid! …I'm just worried about Kari, that's all."

"I'll be fine, Gatomon," assured her human partner; "We've got TK and Patamon with us; together we're an unstoppable team." "That's right," agreed TK.

Gatomon just sighed; she had her reasons for being so protective of Kari, but what the humans had said made some sense to her, and she was, for the moment, eased of her worry. "Alright," she nodded, and that was the end of that argument.

The four heroes then ventured forward down the beach, looking left and right for any signs of life or any unusual activities.

In the far distance stood a curious Slothmon.

Usually, the ghost-like Sin who sported a pendulum-like scythe would be sleeping soundly, but for once he was awake. The colors of his eyes were black and white, but in the reversed sense; like a Bakemon, they were black corneas and white pupils.

It was now clear that the ghost-like Sin was wrapped in a silver chain, like Jacob Marley, perhaps. His face and arms were shriveled, as if he had starved to death a long time ago, and for some reason he had stitches on his mouth, though he could still speak.

And speak he did, when he caught sight of the heroes who wandered onto his Master's beach; "…hmm… It worked; they took the bait. I should stay awake and make sure all goes according to the Master's plan."

So he did stay there, floating weightlessly just a few inches above the ground. He didn't seem to have any legs or feet, so floating was part of his lifestyle. The only problem he had at this point was trying to keep his weary eyes open.

As they traveled across the beach, the heroes came across a small raft that was already hand-crafted; it had sturdy logs pulled and tied together, topped off with a slightly worn but still useful sail.

TK, Kari and their digimon wondered where this small raft had come from, but seeing that it was the only form of transportation they would have on the open sea, they had no other choice but to use it.

Though the ocean lacked color, it was as calm as an ocean could get, and there was a strangely peaceful wind on the water, so the little raft was able to move through the waves with ease.

After a few hours or so, they were so far out at sea that there was no sight of land at all. Perhaps that was the point; they knew now that this world was almost completely made of water. Why, though, became the topic that would set them free of their boredom soon enough.

TK had his eye on the darkening sky as he said, "I wonder if this is a never-ending ocean?" Kari had her eye on the blackening water as she replied, "If it is, then maybe we should have looked around for scuba gear." A nearly seasick Gatomon moaned, "Can we please not talk about the water? Just thinking about it is making me queasy."

Patamon then teased her with, "Fine. I got a new subject: food! Just think about it, Gatomon; chips, hot dogs, burgers, fries, soda, beans…" As much as she wanted to shut him up, Gatomon was instead overcome with dizziness and laid on her back to try and relax.

"I would rather think about what we could find out here," Kari replied suddenly. TK looked over to her and could see the dismal look in her eyes; she seemed worried about something. TK smiled to her, "Hey relax, Kari. We went up against a million bad guys already; we can handle anything out here."

Kari turned to him to look him in the eye and replied, "That's not what I meant, TK. All we know about this world so far is the water and the sky. I'll bet there's a whole city down there underwater, just waiting for us to go check it out." TK smiled again, "Hey, that sounds like a plan!"

But Kari added, "If there is something down there, then maybe we should have waited for the others to get here. As strong as you and I are, we're strongest when we're with everyone else." "Finally," Gatomon smiled as she snapped out of her dizzy spell, "someone's thinking logically. I for one think we should turn around right now and-"

"Why should we?" interrupted TK; he seemed a bit impatient, but with reason.

He added, "We've come this far; there's really no point in going back." "Why are we all arguing over this?" little Patamon wondered; "I thought we all agreed to see the ocean world."

His Champion friend shook her head in reply, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable out here at all. And I know it's not my stomach talking; it's just instinct." "Yeah, instinct," TK commented, "because you're a _gato_, Gatomon." He and Patamon made a small chuckle, but Gatomon just frowned.

Being a cat had nothing to do with her uneasy feeling; it was more than that, and she knew it. And she had to prove it.

The little white kitty with the purple-striped tail moved over to her human partner and muttered, "Kari?" The young lady turned to her with a hum, "Hmm?" Gatomon's blue eyes looked into her brown and said, "I know you've had these kind of feelings in the past; I remember when you were very little, you had connections with the digital world even before we knew it had a life of its own."

"Huh?" Kari peeped again, as if confused.

Gatomon continued, "If you've got the same bad feeling that I do, then you know something's wrong with this picture. You just gotta feel it, and I know you can." Kari never took herself to be a psychic, even though she had indeed shown signs of such a power before.

But the young lady seemed distracted, or lost in thought, so she just shook her head and frowned, "Sorry, Gatomon, but I don't feel anything funny at all."

This disturbed the little Champion more than anything else; if any of these Digi-Destined had the best gut feeling, it was Kari, and it seemed to have died on her now. Feeling defeated in her quest for a kindred spirit, the little kitty declined and moved back to the center of the raft with a soft sigh.

The sky was as gray as a thick fog, so the equally gray Slothmon, who had been spying on the heroes from afar, camouflaged himself so that TK and the others couldn't see him. The only thing that stood out was his golden pendulum for a scythe, but that didn't seem to matter.

The lazy Sin eyed his victims-to-be and muttered, "This is getting bor-ing… Maybe I should crank up the action a few notches." He then held up his weapon of choice, which extended the blades on one of its ends to a massive ten feet in length. The scythe was now shimmering with two menacing blades, like a real pendulum, and the Sin called out in a haunting voice, "TIME KEEPER'S PENDULUM."

With one swoop, the pendulum brushed across the water, but instead of making a splash, it did even worse- it ripped open a hole in the dimension itself, causing a terrible shock wave.

He was about half a mile away from the heroes when this happened, so the first thing that they noticed was the sound of a thunder crash. Soon afterwards, the sea rumbled from the shock wave, causing the raft to bobble up and down roughly.

"What's going on!?" Kari screamed in shock, as she and Gatomon hung on for dear life on the raft's mast. TK held onto his hat while Patamon took to the air; TK replied loudly, "I think it was lightning!" His partner disagreed, "How can there be lightning when there's no light here?"

Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, they heard the most unpleasant rumbling sound coming up from behind them. Startled, the team looked behind them, and there they saw a giant tidal wave, which looked more like a towering wall of dark water. Not sure of what else to do, the team responded with a unified scream.

Then, they took off! TK and Patamon were the first to jump to the sides of the raft- TK on the right, Patamon on the left. As if they couldn't think of anything else to do at the time, they used their arms as oars in a desperate attempt to outrun the tidal wave.

Kari and Gatomon joined them soon afterwards- Kari joined Patamon, and Gatomon joined TK. "Faster! FASTER!" TK panicked; "We're not gonna make it!" Kari replied.

She was right; though the wave was massive, it was moving at a slow pace; even so, they certainly would not have escaped it at the slow pace they were going. Gatomon thought fast and called to Patamon, "Quick! We gotta digivolve!"

Patamon nodded in reply, and the two of them forced themselves to break the digi-volution record by surrounding themselves in balls of illuminated data streams. Soon, they each sprouted many sets of angelic wings and took on more human-like forms.

But by the time Angemon and Angewomon made their debuts on the open sea, they were already shadowed by the massive wave.

"We're too late! ABANDON SHIP!" screamed Angewomon.

Frantically, the angels collected their human partners into their arms and prepared to take flight, just as the wall of water came looming over them. Angemon took off first with TK, followed by Angewomon and Kari.

Thanks to the fact that they each had more than one pair of wings, they were able to narrowly escape the wave's deadly force, though when it did sweep by them, it released a spray of water powerful enough to drench them from more than thirty feet high.

The four of them, soaked to the bone, took a moment to catch their breath and try to relax. "what… how… where did that come from?" muttered a rattled TK; Kari coughed, "…I dunno… but I'm glad we made it." "Barely," sighed a relieved Angewomon. Angemon then took the next moment to look around in curiosity; he said, "Strange… That wave seemed to have come from out of nowhere."

"It couldn't have," replied a suspicious TK; "I'll bet somebody started it." "Who could it have been?" wondered Kari, as she started to check her ear for entered water. "Who else?" guessed TK; "Daemon. This is his world after all, is it?"

"Well," replied Angewomon, "he certainly has made residence here; it would make sense that if he knew we were coming, he'd attack us."

Just when they were getting their second wind, Slothmon was just beginning to feel a rush of energy; apparently, he was the kind of digimon that was at his deadliest when he was on a roll.

Where he stood in mid air, he gave a wicked grin and hissed, "NIGHTMARISH MIRAGE." With this special attack, he was able to create life-like illusions, and he had the perfect one for this situation.

What looked like a sudden heat wave that came over the area soon became the intro of a black sea dragon. When the heroes caught sight of it coming behind them, they thought it had already emerged from the murky water.

It was unlike any digimon they had ever seen before; they thought it might have been a Seadramon, but Seadramon had masks on their faces, while this beast's face was clearly visible, down to its viciously red eyes. And those red eyes were the only truly colored part of it; the rest of it was shaded in many tones of gray.

"Oh my gosh!" gasped Kari, who saw it coming first. Angemon turned around and gasped, "What is that!?" TK replied, "I dunno! I've never seen that digimon before." Just as he said that, it had dipped itself into the water in order to hide itself from them. Angewomon then huffed, "Well, I'm not waiting for it to come up for air; let's fly!"

The two angels then split up, but not too far away from each other, in hopes to lure the mysterious sea dragon away from each other. But the so-called sea dragon had already chosen its target, and as it emerged from the water like a fish jumping for a dragonfly, it took Angewomon and Kari by surprise.

"Kari!"

"Angewomon!"

TK and Angemon called out to their friends, but it was too late. The illusion took a flying leap at Angewomon, ready to ensnare her and Kari in its jaws. The female angel tried to move fast, but since she was ambushed, she wasn't fast enough. Though the creature was purely holographic thanks to Slothmon's power, it had enough force to bring Angewomon and Kari back into the water.

Angewomon was the first to emerge from the water, but then she realized she was alone. "Kari!" she gasped; "…Kari, where are you?? Kari!"

Then in a **whoosh**, Kari emerged from the water herself, coughing and gagging for air. Through instinct, she quickly moved toward the nearest piece of wood that remained of the raft, and hugged it for dear life. "Kari?" called Angewomon; "…I'm here," her partner weakly replied nearby.

Her Ultimate partner tried to swim to her as fast as she could, but TK and Angemon could see the dark sea dragon coming toward them from underwater, like a snake.

"Kari! Angewomon! Lookout!" cried out TK, but the creature was faster than all four of them, for just as the girls were reunited, the illusion popped its head and neck out like a jack-in-the-box.

It loomed over them mercilessly; TK gritted his teeth and growled, "Come on, Angemon, we can take him!" His Champion partner them let him loose, which was TK's cue to suit up for battle.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

"TK Takaishi, Battle-Gear digivolve, based on………….. ANGEMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Angemon and TK aimed their attacks from behind the beast; TK then took the sash around his outfit, and it started to glow heavenly, and formed a golden chain. He then called out, "CONDEMNING CHAIN!"

The chain wrapped itself around the illusion's neck, and even though it was an illusion, it seemed to be strong enough to have somewhat of a physical form, so TK's lasso trick worked.

"HAND OF FATE!" summoned Angemon, releasing a fireball-like energy from his fist; his attack followed the chain that TK had lassoed around the sea dragon, so that together their powers combined.

The sea dragon took the hit, but it took it with ease; the male heroes were shocked to see that their attack didn't work.

Meanwhile, Angewomon was scooping Kari up into her arms; "Hold on, Kari, I've got you," she assured her. Kari wrapped her arms around Angewomon's shoulder line, gasping, "Can you fly?" "I can try," nodded her partner, and started to flap her drenched wings. Then, as things couldn't get any worse for them, an ocean current started to form, and pull them forward.

While TK and Angemon were distracted by the sea dragon, the girls found themselves fighting this strange new current. The two of them split up to try and swim away, but the water was too strong for them. Soon it would become clear as to what was pulling them so roughly; Kari saw it first, and gulped, "…oh…no…"

It was a whirlpool; a giant one, growing by the second. In seconds, TK finally caught sight of it as it was growing and gasped in horror, "Oh, God! KARI!"

He and Angemon tried to swoop their way, but they were blocked off by the invading sea dragon illusion. The two of them tried to get around it, but a frustrated Slothmon, who was hiding from within this illusion, decided to take action against them. He took up his Father Time-like scythe and summoned, "SANDS OF TIME!"

The sea dragon illusion then opened its mouth and released a sudden burst of dark sand at the two male angels. The boys thought that this was the monster's attack, for they couldn't see through it to know it was Slothmon (that would explain why the illusion was so strong, even against two combined attacks).

Not only did the burst of sand blow them off course, but it contained within it a sleeping spell that weakened them enough to fall into the water without resistance.

Meanwhile, Kari and Angewomon had their hands full with trying desperately to fight their way out of the growing whirlpool. Unfortunately for them, their strengths gave in at last; quickly, each of them grabbed a broken raft log in hopes to keep their heads above water, as they continued to be pulled down. Within a minute, they were engulfed, and just like that, the whirlpool came to a sudden stop.

Slothmon then shed his sea dragon illusion, in order to pause and stare in awe at the sudden turn of events. As much as he would have enjoyed seeing his enemies sink into the ocean to their deaths, this was not his intention. In fact, it wasn't his fault at all that the whirlpool started in the first place; that's what spooked him.

"Hmmm," he hummed softly to himself; "…Looks like somebody's crashing my party… Then again, this could be interesting." He then smiled, hoping that this oversight could indeed work in his favor.

They were at it for days now.

By the third day, Gennai and Daru started to show physical signs of tiredness with bruises, torn ends of clothing, and even small cuts on their faces. It was always unclear as to where exactly they were, because everything in Limbo seemed the same; random dimensional gates passing by aimlessly in whirlpool fashion, in an otherwise pitch-black, weightless atmosphere.

Out of breath, Gennai eventually hid behind one of these gates in order to pause for air. Daru knew where he was, but decided to take his own quick break on the other side of the gateway. Each one held up his individual sword, made purely out of data, as if they were both expecting an ambush from their rival at any given time.

"…You're not getting anywhere with me, Gennai," panted Daru; "I can go on like this for another week." Feeling challenged, Gennai heard his opponent's voice and replied, "I can keep this up for another month, if I have to!"

"Get real," huffed his nearby opponent; "I got into this game long before you had, my 'friend.' I was even wise enough to reconfigure my body so that I could strengthen my experience as a Preserver. You only did it when I challenged you to this duel; that just shows how unprepared you've been."

"I don't waste my energy, unlike some people I know," sneered the nearby Gennai, as he gripped onto his sword all the tighter. "Waste?" hissed his opponent; "You think I'm as careless as those so-called Digi-Destined brats of yours?

"Let me tell you something, old fool; you and your Keepers had it all wrong when you decided to let children inherit the digital world. They can never fully comprehend the dangers and responsibilities that are required for such a task. Even now, they're falling apart; one by one, they're being corrupted all too easily by the Sin Digimon. I know it's happening, because even here in Limbo I can sense their weaknesses.

"You can feel it too, can't you? Your connection to them is weakening, while my connection to them grows stronger. Soon, my 'friend,' all you'll have left is that immature protégé of yours… And he's just as weak as the rest of them!"

Gennai had enough; his eyes narrowed at the sound of Daru's chiding, until finally he launched an attack from behind the dimensional gateway he was hiding behind. Daru saw it coming, so he blocked Gennai's sword swipe with ease. Once their duel continued, they moved all the more quickly past the carefree dimensional gates.

They seemed to be clashing swords all the harder now; Gennai was charged with rage, while Daru was becoming all the more cunning. Their attacks were going nowhere; no damage was done yet, so after a while they stopped again to breathe.

Gennai faced off against his rival with sweat running down his neck now; he panted furiously, "…You don't know these humans like I do. As they get older, they grow stronger; in body, and in spirit. I know you can't see it, but I can, and it's all the hope I need to keep going."

Daru replied with an equally weak voice, "Perhaps you're right, Gennai… Perhaps they were strong when they were younger. But you fail to realize that they are aging; the older they get, the more they lose their innocence. You should have chosen a new team of heroes when you had the chance, but now-"

Gennai snapped, "They're still worthy of this world! They will never stop fighting for it; that's what makes them worthy. It's not their innocence that counts, but their determination to keep innocence alive. It won't matter how old these humans get; they will _always_ be Digi-Destined."

Daru then narrowed his eyes and argued, "But they will not always be here… and neither will YOU!" With that, he charged.

Gennai was ready, but upon the impact of their clashed swords, Daru pushed Gennai back, toward a dimensional gate. He did this, because on impact with a gate Gennai would either be electrocuted or sent to another plain of the digital world- either way, he'd be defeated.

Gennai pushed back just in time, avoiding any contact with the gate he had been forced toward. Daru tried it again, using his swinging sword to drive Gennai closer and closer to another passing gateway, but again Gennai resisted touching it.

As it so happened, the two of them were nearing the one place where two or three dimensions had collided with each other, becoming one. This was what they would soon call the Master Gate, the one whirlpool that certainly out-sized all the others, and it was right in the center of Limbo, while the other smaller gates revolved around it like planets to a sun.

Since he was directing Gennai toward this Master Gate, Daru was the first of the two of them to notice it. He grinned, deciding on what to do in order to finish this battle. He drove Gennai as close as he could to the massive whirlpool of data, but then stopped just in time.

When Gennai came to a stop, he suddenly became overwhelmed by a magnetic pull. Confused, he looked around to see what was going on, but then he realized it: he was being pulled in by the Master Gate's air current. It was so large and so strong, it was beginning to have its own gravitational pull, and now Gennai was stuck in the middle of it, while Daru carefully avoided it altogether.

Entertained by this, Daru watched as his rival struggled frantically to pull himself away from this gravitation, to no avail- all he could do at best was stay in one spot, still in the ring of gravity. It would have been like watching Kari and Angewomon trying but failing to escape the current of the whirlpool that they found themselves in.

When Daru saw that his opponent used his last ounce of strength to slowly overpower the gravitational pull, he very carefully moved himself closer to the ring in which Gennai was trapped. He seemed to be waiting for Gennai to get close enough to him, and when he did, the evil one gave him a smile and said, "Well, this looks like your stop. It's been fun, Gennai, but it's time to end this silly game."

He then took up his sword, turned it around so that Gennai was facing its handle bar, and added, "Oh, and don't worry about your little friend Kellen. If he's wondering where you are and how you're doing, I'll be happy to tell him myself."

His threat was not taken lightly, but Gennai knew that he couldn't escape this gravitational pull, and it didn't make it any easier for him to do so once Daru had thrust his sword's handle bar right into Gennai's face.

Taking the hit, Gennai was pushed further into the Master Gate's ring of gravity; with the force of a whirlpool's current, it dragged him speedily toward the gate itself. From where he stood weightlessly, Daru watched as his opponent went flying straight into the Master Gate, disappearing from sight altogether.

The duel was finally over.

Kari wondered some time ago what was hiding under the dark waters of this mysterious world, but she was about to put that riddle to rest at last.

She fluttered her eyes open, coming out of her state of unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered was seeing herself and Angewomon being swept into a whirlpool. Now she knew that she was still alive, and breathing, but it was too dark to see exactly where she was.

She rubbed her eyes and moaned weakly, "Uhh… Angewomon? …Angewomon, are you here? …Anybody??" Not getting an instant response from her digimon partner startled her, and that gave Kari the surge of energy she needed to wake up fully.

But then she finally got her response; "Uuugh," moaned a nearby Gatomon, whom Kari could now see lying on a drifting log like a drowned rat- er, cat.

Kari realized that she too was on a drifting log; that was about all she could see, for the water around her and the sky (or so it seemed) above her were black. "Gatomon!" she rejoiced, and piloted her log over to Gatomon's to be by her digimon's side.

Gatomon replied by lifting her head, and then shaking off the water on her head as a real cat would; "Man," she muttered gloomily, "the next time we go to the beach, I'm taking a life jacket."

She then tilted her head to the left and firmly tapped her right side to push out the water that entered her ear. Then she came to her senses and gasped, "Kari??" "I'm here," smiled her partner, ensuring her that they were still together.

Relieved, Gatomon gave a sigh, but then she looked around and felt blind; "Kari," she asked, "where are we?" "I dunno," replied her friend; "Last thing I remember, we were taken into a whirlpool. I thought we drowned." "Me too," agreed a shaken Gatomon; "…But if we're still alive, then what happened? Were we saved?"

The two of them paused to try to catch a glance at their surroundings, but as Kari described it, "It looks like we're in a cave." "I'll check," blinked the little Champion, and hollered, "ECHO!"

**"Echo!"**

**"Echo!"**

**"Echo!"**

**"Echo!"**

That assured it; Gatomon's voice bounced off the invisible walls of what was either a cave or a very large tunnel. Gatomon then felt tickled by this, and decided to have fun with it:

"GATOMON RULES!"

**"GATOMON RULES!"**

**"GATOMON RULES!"**

**"GATOMON RULES!"**

**"GATOMON RULES!"**

This series of echoes came with the soft trickling of invisible stalactite pebbles falling from the ceiling to the water. The little kitty laughed at herself, and this even brought a little cheer in Kari's heart, so she smiled.

Kari then looked ahead, and her eyes gleamed with surprise. Gatomon noticed and wondered, "What's wrong?" Kari stared ahead and replied, "I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel."

Gatomon gasped, "Don't say that! You know what that means to see a light at the end of a tunnel?" Kari glanced at her and replied, "That we're almost through the tunnel?"

Gatomon just sighed, but then she turned ahead and saw for herself that there was indeed a soft yellow light up ahead. Her jaw dropped; "Awww," she gasped, "now I see it! …This can't be good."

The riverbank they were floating on crept closer and closer to this strange light up ahead, but soon it became clear that this light came from lamps. They appeared to be like street lamps, standing proudly by the sides of the small, gently flowing river.

As they floated onward, Kari and Gatomon noticed that the lights were multiplying, and the cave-like tunnel was becoming brighter and brighter. They could now clearly see the stalactites above them, gleaming like ice crystals. They could also see that the walls around them were icy; so icy, in fact, they could almost make out their reflections, though they were disproportioned due to the fact that the walls weren't steep.

The funny part was, even though they were clearly surrounded by ice, Kari and Gatomon weren't cold at all. That was because the air and water were both lukewarm. Why they were lukewarm, the girls were about to find out.

The humble lamps that lit the way through this tunnel led the way to a great open space. Kari and Gatomon gasped in awe, as the space around them opened up to reveal what looked like a city made of rock and ice.

At the heart of this ancient-looking city stood a massive fortress, looking like a mountain made out of stalagmites.

There were small beams of blue and yellow lights coming from within the city, like window lights. Kari started to shake with anxiety, but Gatomon then took her hand into her clawed paw to soothe her nervousness. Then the river directed them straight into a harbor, where their torn rafts came to a stop.

Quickly, they struggled to climb up onto the pier, which was made of smooth rock. Kari paused to notice the paved road that led to the city's gates and sighed, "Whoever lives here must have a heck of a heating bill." Gatomon then remarked, "I just hope we weren't swimming in their sewer way." Then they gathered up their courage, and approached the front gate.

The gates to this underground lair were open, so entering the city seemed to be almost too easy. Gatomon and Kari walked cautiously through the smoothly paved street, eying all of the lamps that lit the way, watching to see if anyone was spying on them.

"I don't like this place," Kari commented, as she grew all the more tense during their venture; Gatomon replied, "What's to like? All they gotta do is throw in a couple of gravestones, and not even a Jehovah's Witness would come knocking on the door."

Kari then came to a sudden stop, as she gasped in surprise; her eyes were focused on the high level of a nearby building which had a balcony on it. Gatomon gasped, "What? What did you see, Kari?" Her human friend replied in a shaky voice, "I thought I saw something up there, on the balcony."

Gatomon looked at it, and saw nothing out of the ordinary- well, nothing about this place was ordinary, but you get the idea. She then looked to Kari and said, "It's alright, Kari. Even if it was something, nobody seems to care we're here. Let's just keep moving." "You're right," nodded Kari, and they were back on their way.

Where the balcony in question stood, a pair of yellow eyes sparkled through the dark doorway.

It had been at least two hours since their clash with Slothmon, but now TK- no longer in his battle gear- and Patamon- after de-digivolving through the effect of Slothmon's last attack- were coming out of their sleep spell. They were both lying on separate raft logs, those that had not been pulled into the whirlpool, so it was thanks to these logs that they were able to escape possible drowning as they slept the afternoon away.

TK woke up with a gasp, "KARI!" and then he fell silent. He saw that the sea was dead calm now; only he and Patamon were there. Patamon then woke up and jumped into their air; he gasped, "…TK! What happened?" TK sweat-dropped, "I… I don't really know… Last thing I remember was that sea dragon… But look! Kari and Gatomon are gone!"

"No!" peeped the little Rookie; he fluttered over to where TK sat afloat on the open water and frowned, "You don't think they… they…?"

"Don't say it," TK replied in a low voice; he just couldn't make himself believe that the worst had happened to his dearest of friends. He then took a breath and said, "We gotta find them; I know they're out here somewhere…" The two of them acted desperately, starting to call out their friends' names:

"KA-RI!"

"KARI! GATOMON!"

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

"GA-TO-MON?"

"KA-RI-I-I?"

From where they were, Kari and Gatomon would never have been able to hear the cries of their lost friends. They were deep underground; they knew it, because there was no sky above the city in which they were now, but instead an enveloping sheet of solid rock.

They were now coming closer and closer to the mountain-like fortress that stood at the heart of this ancient city, but the closer they came to it, the more uninterested in it they had become.

Kari was especially growing more and more frightened; at last, her intuition was kicking in. She stared at it like a rabbit would stare at a nearby foxhole; she gulped, "Okay… I think we came close enough to that fortress; maybe we should just go back now and-"

"Wait," Gatomon suddenly interrupted; "…I know this sounds crazy, Kari, and normally I would agree with you; but I think whoever lives in there is the one that brought us here. How else would you explain us surviving that whirlpool?" Kari replied, "You're probably right… but…"

Gatomon then took her friend's hand again and purred, "It's okay to be scared; you may be old enough to drive a car, but nobody outgrows the fear of monsters." "What if it's Daemon?" gulped Kari; "You and I can't take him on our own." Gatomon nodded, "I know, but I'm willing to see what he wants with us; maybe we can get him to show us the way out of here. There's no other way for us to find out."

Then she went on to say, "Listen, Kari; we wouldn't have made it this far if we weren't strong enough to face our enemies. Even if Daemon's the Keeper of Darkness, you're the Child of Light. Whatever he can throw at you, I'm sure you can throw it right back. And always remember that I'm here, and I'll always be here, to back you up."

Kari's fears were calmed for the moment, and she gave her partner a small smile, "…Thanks, Gatomon."

"…child… of Light?"

This soft, eerie voice came from behind them; it was now obvious that the girls weren't alone after all. They two of them gasped; if Kari were as furry as Gatomon, then at this point her hair would stand on end just as her partner's did.

They then whirled around to see who it was behind them, and to their shock it was not one but a whole army of dark, yellow-eyed creatures. But these weren't Shadowmon; they appeared to be the silhouettes of murky, amphibious creatures; they clearly had the shapes of fins on the sides of their faces for ears, and the shapes of webbed feet.

These creatures were familiar to them; "It's you!" Kari said to them is surprise.

Indeed, these were the monsters she had faced four years in the past, the ones that appeared to be desperate Scubamon, who tried to drag her into the ocean so that she would meet with their Master. Back then, there were about six of them; now, there were countless numbers, and they had the girls surrounded.

Kari felt helpless, as she did the first time she met with these strange creatures, so she stood frozen with fear. Gatomon, on the other hand, barked at them with her claws in the air, "Back off, frog-faces! I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them!"

The creatures just stared at them with lidless eyes; one of them croaked, "…Child of Light… You've come back to us." "You've come back," some of them echoed.

Gatomon hissed at them, "Stay back!" They didn't make a move; instead they just kept whispering, "You've come back… You've come back to us…" "Leave us alone!" shouted Kari, but then another one softly croaked, "The Master would want to see you, Child. He's been looking forward to it."

Kari frowned, "What does he want with me?" "You have something he wants," replied the creature; "Something he wants… Something he wants," echoed its brethren.

Gatomon turned to her friend and muttered, "We knew this was coming; what do you think we should do?" Gatomon knew the answer just as well as Kari did, but she needed to hear it from her. Wisely, Kari thought it over and then replied, "…We have no choice. We have to meet their Master, and see what he wants. Maybe if we talk to him, he'll let us go." Gatomon nodded, "That's the best-case scenario… The only thing that worries me is the worst-case." Kari digressed, "It's better than trying to fight and risk getting killed…"

She then looked to the dark amphibians, raised her arms, and bravely said to them, "Okay. We'll let you take us to your Master; we don't wanna fight." The amphibians seemed elated by this response, and promptly they walked up to their visitors, then passed by them.

One passing amphibian informed them, "Follow us." They then led Kari and Gatomon toward the fortress that towered over the city, which was the one place they were tempted to run away from.

As Gatomon had said, this meeting was a long time coming- four years, in total. They knew that the least they should have done was to get it over with, once and for all; therefore, they showed no resistance as they were being driven closer and closer to the dark fortress ahead.

Since the mountainous palace was so… mountainous… it took the amphibious digimon and their guests a while to reach the official throne room of the dark Master of the Ocean.

Here he resided, shrouded in a dark bubble of seawater, perhaps as a way of wanting seclusion. He seemed like the lonely sort, and yet at the same time he seemed to enjoy his privacy. But in this bubble, one would not be able to see his full form; instead, they could only take notice of the fact that he resembled a kraken in many ways; he had squid-like tentacles, a squid-shaped head, and even more tentacles for a beard to cover his mysterious mouth.

The rest of him, mainly his torso, was humanoid, complete with a man's chest, stomach and arms. This was not Daemon, as Kari and Gatomon had feared. His name was…

------------ Digimon Card: Dagomon ------------

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Type: Sea Animal

"Behold at last, our Master Dagomon. Like the mythical kraken, he rules the Dark Ocean with an iron fist. Actually, he rules it with multiple iron fists."

-So-Called Scubamon

-------------------------------------

This was the introduction to the great squid-man that Kari and Gatomon received when they were finally face to face with the great creature. As they stared in awe at him, he remained as silent and peaceful as he would if he were asleep.

But he was in fact awake, and proved it by opening his pair of glowing red eyes. When he did so, and while looking upon the face of the young lady in his presence, he gave out a low but thunderous moan. It was enough to shake the room, even though it was clearly made of marble and stone; Kari and Gatomon were almost thrown off their balance.

But then, to their surprise, the dark blue bubble that was keeping Dagomon in seclusion was now melting away; he was more visible now, showing off the many different color patterns on his arms, face and torso; most digimon had markings on their bodies, so even though this was clearly a villainous beast, he at least had some color to him; otherwise, he just had different shades of gray.

When he got a closer look at the Child of Light, his face seemed to lift, as if despite the fact that his mouth was unseen, he was smiling. Finally, he spoke, "It's… It's you. You've come at last."

Kari cleared her throat, still nervous about getting attacked, and replied softly, "Yes, it's me. I only came here because… well… We were actually looking for Daemon. Or, one of his friends."

The giant kraken gave her a small nod, "Come to pick a fight with him, have you? Good… You have a strong spirit, child. I always knew that." Kari then continued with, "But then we were attacked by some kind of sea monster… And then a giant whirlpool-" "Yes," interrupted the kraken, "the whirlpool… That was my doing."

Kari and Gatomon gasped, "What??"

Dagomon answered, "It was the only way I could bring you here, child. This entire city is underwater." Kari gave a slow gasp, "…You mean we never left the ocean?" "That explains a few things," said Gatomon, who seemed just as surprised with the truth as Kari was.

Dagomon then moved slightly closer to them and said, "That no longer matters. What matters is that you're here." Kari was almost reluctant to ask, but she did so anyway, "…What exactly do you want with me, Dagomon?" He answered her simply, "Your light."

Kari peeped, "Huh?" but then it hit her; she looked down to the pink jewel that was wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet; her Crest. "My Crest of Light, you mean?" she wondered

The great kraken nodded again, "Yes. It is that power which I have desired for a long time now. It is your power, Kari, that will help me rule this world." _"Oh great,"_ she thought to herself, _"just what we need: another power-hungry monster."_

"Listen," she told him with a stronger voice, "my power can't be used by anybody except me." "I know," blinked Dagomon; "That is why I needed you. Now that you're here, you will act as my ally…"

Kari backed away and narrowed her eyes at him, "What makes you think I'm no your side?" Gatomon stood her ground and added, "Or that we'd want to be on your side?" The giant kraken showed great patience as he calmly replied, "You and I have a common enemy, Child of Light. Together, we can overthrow him and cast him out of our Dark Ocean Network. I would gladly have you by my side, if you would accept."

Kari cringed, "Yecgh! You make it sound like you have a crush on me."

Dagomon just giggled softly, "Hmm-hmm-hmm… Perhaps I may admire you a bit, but can you blame me?" He then moved a little closer to her by gracefully bending down his base tentacles, as if kneeling, and added, "All my life, I have lived in darkness; only when you arrive to I get to see what true Light is… And if you want my honest opinion, I think it is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

Kari was now officially creeped out, and so was Gatomon. The two of them stepped back, but couldn't get much further than that, for behind them stood a wall of murky-scaled digimon with yellow eyes.

Despite her discomfort, Kari seemed to show a little courage as she said, "Uhh… Normally I'd be flattered, but I really don't think I should stay here. I mean, this place just doesn't do it for me." "Yeah," Gatomon agreed, "it's just too gloomy and miserable for our standards."

But Dagomon swooned, "That's just it! I want to see more light; I want my world to look as beautiful as you are. Just show me what your Crest can do; then… then maybe I'll release you."

Gatomon narrowed her eyes, not believing his promise, and huffed, "Yeah, right."

At that point, Dagomon's patience started to grow thin; he dared to reach out for Kari as he insisted, "Just show me…"

**"Ree-OW!"**_ SWIPE!_

Gatomon reacted by screeching like a real cat and clawing at the kraken's approaching human hand. Though he was an Ultimate beast, he seemed to take this hit, and it seemed to hurt him in a more emotional way than physical. He recoiled and moved back, as if avoiding another swipe.

The amphibious gang behind the girls seemed to take this personally and hissed at the little kitty, but she stood her ground still and hissed at Dagomon, "You touch her, and I swear I'll make you an oversized sushi!"

The giant kraken seemed angered by this, but instead of really losing his cool, he simply moved backward and sighed deeply, "…I did not bring you here to fight me… I want to offer you an alliance." Gatomon spoke on Kari's behalf and replied, "We don't wanna join in your battles; we've got problems of our own!"

"I understand," moaned Dagomon, "but together we can solve each other's problems." Gatomon then turned to her partner and muttered, "I don't trust this guy; he wreaks of something nasty." Kari shook her head in reply, "I don't trust him either…"

Dagomon heard this, and became insulted. It showed in the flash of his red eyes, which startled the girls. He then inched his way closer to them boldly and like a crocodile he groaned, "I offered you my friendship- my kingdom! Would you risk making two enemies instead of one? I must warn you, child, you and your little kitty will not withstand the force of _two_ dark Masters."

This was a threat that the girls wouldn't dare take lightly; Kari gulped, "…Gatomon, this isn't going well. Maybe we should try to get out of here."

"…Leave?" muttered the deep voice of Dagomon. He and his minions seemed to grow slightly more aggressive, as they hissed softly at their visitors. Kari and Gatomon moved in closer in reaction to the harsh attitudes of the dark amphibians. Dagomon then took a breath and growled, "I've waited a thousand years to see your precious light again, Kari. If you think I'm going to just let you walk out of here, you are sorely mistaken."

"…A thousand years?" muttered Kari, as Dagomon's comment seemed to have thrown her off.

The kraken had no patience for explanations; his patience altogether was dead and gone now. He was through pussyfooting with these two heroes; he was going to get to his point, and now. He huffed, "I wanted to be kind to you, child; but instead you have proven yourself to be as much my enemy as the one out to conquer my ocean. Therefore, if we are destined to battle…" His tentacles armed themselves, aiming at the visitors viciously as he concluded his sentence with, "…then battle, we shall."

TK and Patamon had been spending all this time paddling their poor excuse for a raft, which was no more than a scratched up log, and had found themselves a small island in the middle of the ocean. It was no more than a mere patch of sand, like an oasis in a vast desert, but it was at least a place where they could rest after peddling through the open water like crazy.

Patamon took a moment to shake himself dry like a puppy, while TK looked around frantically for any signs of life in the distance. Without showing any signs of weakness, he quickly resumed his search for his friends, "KARI! GATOMON! ….KARI?? …GATOMON!?"

Patamon watched him and showed a look of despair; "TK," he muttered, "we're stuck in the middle of nowhere." TK was frustrated with the fact that they were alone, so he didn't take to Patamon's comment lightly; he turned to the little bat-winged guinea pig and snapped, "I know that, Patamon! Help me look for them; they could be near this island."

The little Rookie frowned, showing his exhaustion, "I'm sorry, TK, but I'm really tired from all that paddling. Aren't you tired?" The young man twitched his eye, showing a little bit of his frustration while trying a little too hard to hide his weakness, "No. We gotta keep looking; they need us, Patamon."

"I know they need us," replied the visibly weakened digimon, "but all I'm saying is, maybe we should rest just a little bit. I know how worried you are about Kari and Gatomon, but you're not made of stone. Even you have to rest once in a while."

"Right," snapped TK in reply, "maybe I should take a minute to rest, Patamon. And while I do, Kari and Gatomon might be in the fight for their lives against Daemon, or some Mega digimon who's out for blood! Yeah, maybe I should take a load off, because that's why I came to the digital world! I came here to sit on my butt and do nothing while my friends are in danger!"

Patamon closed his eyes and frowned, "That's not what I meant-" "I know what you meant!" TK snapped again; "You're saying I can't hold my own 'cause I'm still younger than everyone else! Well guess what, Patamon; I'm all grown up! I can do everything Tai, and Matt and Sora can do; I'm not a weakling anymore!"

It just hit him what he was saying, as TK paused to see his little partner stared up at him with a face that would even make a sad puppy jealous. His bat ears were pulled back, his eyes dilated, and if he had visible lips, his bottom one would be curled at the moment. Patamon topped off his sad face with a sad voice, "…I never said you were a weakling…"

TK promptly felt ashamed of himself; he took to one knee and patted his little friend on the head, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Patamon. You're right; no man is an island. I can't do everything on my own, even when things get this bad." Patamon's face then lifted slightly, "It's okay. We'll find the girls; we just gotta keep our hopes up."

TK's eyes then glimmered, as if a thought crossed his mind that sent a chill down his spine; "Hope…" he muttered.

He then looked down at his Battle Crest of Hope; it was at that moment when he realized something. He thought aloud, "The power of my crest has always been connected to Kari's. Hope and Light are just about one in the same." "That's right!" Patamon said with the first smile he made in a while. TK then clutched onto the jewel around his neck and sighed, "Maybe… Maybe if we're lucky, this will help us find them. I just need to tap into its power…"

With that, he put faith in himself, as he clutched onto the crest all the tighter, closed his eyes, and started to meditate: "…Come on, Kari… I know you're there… Help me find you…"

The crest started to give off a soft, warm glow from underneath TK's clutched hand.

Just as things were looking bleak for Gatomon and Kari, Kari inadvertently clutched onto her own Crest for strength. In reaction, a warm pink light started to shine through her clutched hand, from the crest. Then, as if by some miracle…

**WHOOSH!**

Taking everyone by surprise, even Dagomon, was a stream of pink light that shot out of Kari's crest like a cannon. At first, it was too bright for Dagomon's sensitive eyes, and he covered them painfully as he moaned, "…the… The Light… This is the Light I've longed to see… it's… so painful… yet… beautiful…"

Even Kari, who knew in her heart that she was the cause of this burst of energy, was shocked to see it take form. In awe, she and everyone else watched as the beam of pink light was strong enough to penetrate not just the roof of Dagomon's palace, but also to ceiling of the underwater cave altogether.

Eventually, it made it through the murky waters, towards the surface with the force of a lightning bolt.

Miles away from where they stood on their poor excuse of an island, TK and Patamon watched in shock as a pink light coursed through the murky waters and through the equally murky sky.

TK's eyes lit up with elation, "…It's Kari!" Patamon, who was also overjoyed, fluttered in the air and smiled, "You were right, TK; the powers of Hope and Light are strongest together."

The boys then noticed that what they were witnessing was more than a stream of pink light; it was their one and only signal that would lead them to their friends. "Let's go!" commanded the human; his partner nodded in reply, "Right!"

As Kari's Crest of Light continued to blast through Dagomon's lair, the effect was causing a massive earthquake. Debris was falling from the cave like rain, and following it was the dark ocean water that was otherwise shielded by the cave's roof.

Dagomon was furious by this and roared, "You fool! You're going to bring down the whole cave on top of us!!" Kari knew he was right, but she couldn't turn off the crest's power. She held onto it and panicked, "Gatomon, I can't stop it!" "Hang on, Kari!" her friend cried back; "I won't let anything happen to you, remember?"

Dagomon and his minions were not so calm; they knew that this was the beginning of a devastating crisis. Even through they were adaptable to the water, their city's destruction would indeed be the end of them, unless they were to escape now. And so they attempted it; the amphibians were the first to make a run for it, but they were blinded by their fears and soon became a rioting ball of chaos.

Gatomon watched the ceiling carefully; once a large block of debris started to fall down in Kari's direction, she reacted in the only way a true friend would: she took a flying leap into the air, straight into the beam of light coming from Kari's crest. There, Kari and the others heard these words:

"GATOMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO………….. MAGNADRAMON!"

When Gatomon emerged from the light, she was no longer a small white cat, but a gigantic, radiantly pink Chinese dragon, with a feline-like face that was reminiscent of her former self. Kari's eyes glimmered with joy as she smiled her widest smile ever.

"I will not let you destroy my city!" bellowed a furious Dagomon nearby; he rose up his tentacles to Kari and roared, "TENTACLE CLAWS!"

They were launched at her with sharp sword-like ends, but Kari's Mega partner was all too prepared for a counter attack: "FIRE TORNADO!" Her dragon's breath did indeed come with the force of a cyclone, which was more than enough to put a sting on Dagomon's tentacles. He fell back in agony, which made him all the more enraged.

One by one, or in small numbers, Dagomon's minions fell victim to the falling boulders and tower debris, as the hole made by Kari's crest grew larger and larger. And it was about to grow at its largest, when from out of nowhere, a beam of golden light seemed to have appeared and merged itself with Kari's pink light.

Then, the two beams of light became entwined and spun around like a whirlpool, much like the whirlpool that acted as the first gateway into Dagomon's lair, only this one was clearly as bright as daylight. Kari paid close attention to this and knew almost immediately what it meant; "It's TK!" she cheered.

And she was right; as if on cue, TK- in his battle gear- and his partner, now the Mega angel Seraphimon, came descending through the gateway like it was an escalator. Just as Kari suspected, the golden light was coming from TK's Battle Crest. The young man eyed the young woman and smiled, "…See, Seraphimon? I told you they were just fine! Hey there, cutie; you miss me?"

She couldn't help but blush, feeling all too happy at the moment that things were finally looking up, as she giggled in reply, "Hmm-hmm! TK, your timing couldn't be more perfect."

"Let's blow this joint already!" suggested a nearby MagnaDramon; she then coiled herself around and upward in suspended animation, leading the way out toward the exit gate tunnel was made by the crests' powers.

But Kari was not going to get away without being threatened one last time by the desperate Dagomon; in a flash, the great beast launched his right hand at her, and finally grabbed her before the heroes knew what he was doing. Taken by surprise, naturally, she screamed.

Dagomon picked her up in his clutches as quickly as a temporarily weakened beast his size could and growled, "NO! I will not let you leave, child; I will die before I see your Light leave me!" "TK! HELP!" she hollered.

Her cries were immediately answered, not by TK, who was obviously concerned for her, but instead by his partner Seraphimon. The angel turned to his near look-alike and said, "We'll get her, TK." "Right," agreed the angelic TK.

The two Mega heroes approached Dagomon weightlessly, knowing just hat to do. Dagomon knew what was coming, and crawled into what would be the last corner of his palace; holding up Kari like a prize or a shield, he whimpered humbly, "Please… I never meant her harm; just… Let me use her power; I need it to defeat my enemy!"

"You want the power of Light?" hissed MagnaDramon; she and Seraphimon were then coated with halos of light, which echoed the colors of their respective partners' crests. Her friend then held his fist and concluded, "We'll give you all the Light you can take."

Dagomon knew that even if he tried to counter-attack, it would have been hopeless. So instead of even trying, he just took in a deep breath, and prepared for the end. The end did indeed come for him after that; Seraphimon started with, "STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!" and MagnaDramon finished with another "FIRE TORNADO!"

They hit the great kraken from below, but it was an attack strong enough to burn him to ash (or what seemed like ash, but was really data) from the bottom up. By the time it get to his arms, he had let go of Kari at last; she fell, but MagnaDramon broke her fall with her head.

The dragon then carried her upward toward the tunnel of light, which would lead them to the surface; as she led the way, TK and Seraphimon followed.

When they finally did leave the cave, their tunnel of light started to quickly disintegrate into nothing. Darkness, alongside ocean water, flowed back into Dagomon's world with the force of a great waterfall.

As it did so, that which was left of the once great kraken breathed its last words, "…light… such beautiful light…"

And then, there was nothing but darkness.

There would be no more threats of darkness filling their hearts on this day any longer, as TK and Kari floated back to the beach from whence they came while hitching a ride courtesy of their Mega-leveled digimon.

When they touched ground on the sandy beach at last, TK took two fists full of sand, flung it in the air and rejoice, "WOO-HOO! God, I NEVER thought I'd be happy to see the gray sand again!"

Kari, meanwhile, just danced around for a few seconds in jubilation; then her attention turned to their digimon, who had promptly reversed their aging process once they too touched ground. Who used to be Seraphimon was now his Trainee self, Tokomon; and likewise, who used to be MagnaDramon was now Nyaromon.

Kari scooped up the pint-sized yellow ball that slightly resembled Gatomon and twirled her in the air as she sighed, "Nyaromon… I don't think I'd ever make it down there without you." The little Trainee just purred, "Aww, it was nothing."

Then Kari glanced over to her other two heroes and smiled, "And TK, and Tokomon; thanks for being there too." TK brushed his hair back, as if coyly, and smiled, "You know I'd never let anything happen to you, Kari… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she nodded; "In fact, I think it's safe to say that I feel free, now that Dagomon is finally gone. Apparently, he wanted to use my power of Light for his own purposes."

TK approached her, now with Tokomon in his arms, and said, "Well, I'm glad he didn't get it, 'cause whatever he wanted to use it for couldn't have been good."

They paused for a moment, and then their attention was drawn to what then appeared to be sunlight behind them. Sure enough, they were right back where they started: right at the bridge between the true digital world and this dark ocean network.

The two humans then looked to each other with confidence; TK smiled, "Let's go. I'll bet the others'll wanna hear what we've been up to." Kari nodded, "Yeah. I hope they haven't been getting into as much trouble as we were…"

With no other word left to say, the group then made its way toward the sunlight, which would lead them back to the world that they were destined to save…

But they weren't alone.

Slothmon stood afloat in a safe distance of the heroes, laughing softly but maniacally. As he watched them leave the scene, he gloated, "Those foolish kids; they should have tried to recruit Dagomon into their little clique, but instead they fought and destroyed him. Now nothing is stopping my Master from claiming this entire network as his own… There's only one group left to corrupt, and once that happens, winning this war will be a peace of cake…"

Then he yawned tiredly, "…Which is good, 'cause I'm due for a nice, lo-o-ong nap..." Indeed he would sleep, so he faded away into the darkness, like the ghost he was, to do just that.

Indeed, there was only one group of Digi-Destined left to corrupt; they were on their way to Greedmon's lair, where he was already waiting for them.

TO BE CONTINUED


	22. Blessed Are The Meek

_"TK and I have traveled all the way to the farthest regions of the digital world's primary continent, and found a gateway to the dark ocean network. There, we ran into some unexpected danger, which turned out to be caused by, of all monsters, Slothmon. But then someone else sent for me and Gatomon through a giant whirlpool. It turned out to be Dagomon, the true ruler of the Dark Ocean, who wanted to use the power of our crests for his own fight against Daemon. We couldn't let him have them, so thanks to the bond between TK and I and our digimon, we were able to escape and put an end to Dagomon's terror once and for all. And strangely enough, that also worked out for Daemon as well…"_

-Kari

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-Two: "Blessed Are The Meek"**

It was never this quiet before, and Kellen was never before so alone. But now that Culumon had inadvertently been taken to a new dimension, the little boy who would replace Gennai as the Preserver of the digital world found himself in a dark, frighteningly quiet temple.

As dark and dismal as the room was, so were his hopes. His heart filled itself with worry, for he could sense that something was happening- many things were happening, all of which were due to the forces of evil- and there was nothing he could do about it. He started to think to himself.

"_Poor Culumon… and Gennai! I know I've got to do something for them, but I'm just not sure what I can do… I never had to figure things out on my own; I don't even know if I have the strength to reopen that portal… Boy. Some Preserver I'm turning out to be…"_ He then sighed.

That's when things started to change. The markings of an ancient language that were etched onto the walls usually lit up whenever Gennai or Kellen tapped into their powers. But now, they started to glow on their own.

The young boy lifted his head up and gazed in awe at the mysterious glowing. For a moment, he thought that it could only mean one thing; that someone was on the outside, trying to break in. "…Gennai?" he softly guessed. He did indeed get an answer, but not from Gennai; it was the voice of Azulongmon: "Kellen, my young friend! It's me, Azulongmon."

"Azulongmon?" blinked the young boy; he recognized that voice in an instant, but he couldn't believe that one of the Gate Guardians- those four digimon powerful enough to not only jump from one reality to another but also unlock gates to new realms- was now speaking to him.

Azulongmon, the blue Chinese dragon with an infinitely-long body, replied omnisciently, "The tide of fate is turning; Gennai has lost his battle against Daru, the dark one." "Oh no!" gasped Kellen in horror; "That means he's-" "Hold on," interrupted the dragon's voice; "Don't despair so soon; he may have been beaten, but he's not gone…" Kellen stood on his feet and asked the glowing wall, "What happened to him? Where is he?" "That's what we're trying to find out," replied the voice of Azulongmon.

Then, the wall's illumination transformed and symmetrically took the shape of four great beasts: a dragon on the right, a tiger on the left, a turtle on the top and a phoenix on the bottom. This glow made up the alignment of North, East, South and West, the four corners of the world, which seemed to be made possible by these beasts. This was a sign to Kellen that not only was Azulongmon reaching him from beyond Limbo, but so were the others.

Then, the voice of the phoenix, Zhuqiaomon, said, "Daru's victory over Gennai could only mean one thing: that the forces of evil will be free to roam the digital world without the Digi-Destined knowing it. They'll be facing their enemies with no help at all from he who would normally update them with strategies and upgraded skills." Kellen frowned, "I'd like to help them, but I'm not yet ready to take up the cause."

"We know," replied the voice of the tiger known as Baihumon; "You are strong, Kellen, but not even you can save our heroes from their own fate now. Fortunately, we have an alternate plan." The young boy, not offended at all by the tiger's remark, then gave a smile, "You do?"

Then the voice of the turtle, Ebonwumon, replied, "We have the power to move across from one digital world to another, and we have been doing so ever since this adventure had gotten started. On our search, we have discovered a phenomenon: multiple realities, coming together as one!"

The young boy looked confused and blinked, "Excuse me?"

"It's true," replied the voice of the dragon once again; "Normally, the different digital worlds just pass by each other; we never knew what would happen in they actually collided. But indeed, they are! And the results are actually in our favor. If Daemon succeeds in capturing the other Digi-Keepers- and right now, that's looking to be an extreme possibility- then we will see to it that we combine this digital world with that of the others."

Kellen gasped, "You… can make worlds collide? But how?" The voice of the tiger responded, "Very carefully, and at a safe distance, we can manipulate the circulation of the dimension gates. Once this is achieved, then many digital worlds will become one. And this will be the only way we can preserve the environment here."

"You see, Kellen," informed the voice of the phoenix, "without the Keepers of Land, Sea and Sky, the digital world's natural resources could very well crumble, or simply wither and die. We cannot allow that to happen…"

The young boy then realized what the Gate Guardians were getting to; "So, by combining the strengths of many digital worlds, the data from those worlds will be strong enough to keep this planet alive." "Yes," replied the turtle's voice.

Kellen briefly paused to collect his thoughts; Gennai was defeated but not killed; instead, he's now missing in the uncharted territory of another reality. And, the Gate Guardians were now working together to join together as many different digital worlds as they could, for fear of the inevitable capture of the Digi-Keepers. All of this seemed clear… and yet, it was not.

Kellen looked up at the glowing wall and asked, "I understand what you four are doing, but… what about the Digi-Destined? Shouldn't they be strong enough to fight off the bad guys and keep the Keepers safe?" The dragon's voice replied, "The Chosen Ones are strong, but their strength is slowly declining. Soon, I'm afraid, they will fail."

Now Kellen fully understood why the Gate Guardians were so desperate to help preserve the digital world; as the phoenix explained, "We have been carefully watching them from afar, and we have seen them undergoing their tests. It's a hard thing to admit, but these heroes are going to need us. But, we aren't fully aware of what will happen if our plan is a success; there could be consequences to the merging of other digital worlds.

"That's why we need you more than ever, Kellen; as Gennai's successor, you must help us keep the digital world stabilized." The young boy gulped, "…I'm …I'm ready for such a cause?" The voice of the dragon then replied with, "You are ready when you feel you are."

Kellen took a moment to contemplate this, but then he felt a rumble in the earth. The dragon's voice then said, "We must go; our work is far from being finished." "Oh!" gasped young Kellen; "Do be careful, and I do hope you can find Gennai and Culumon! …He's lost in another world, too." "Don't worry," blurted out the voice of the dragon, "we'll do our best to find them, and restore everything before it's too late."

No sooner than that, the quaking came to a halt, just as the wall's glowing light and figures of a turtle, a tiger, a dragon and a phoenix, disappeared. All was dark again in the temple; but not Kellen's hopes. He balled a fist and gazed at it with a small glow in his eyes; now more determined to fulfill his duties than ever, the young boy replied aloud, "Don't worry, Guardians… I won't let you down. I promise."

The heart of the ocean seemed nice and peaceful, especially in mid-day, when the sun's rays made it through the first few miles of the water depth. It was here, in the center of the great ocean, where the mermaid known as Oceanamon would be in hot pursuit for an enemy's secret lair. It was here, at this hour, when she had discovered it at last.

It was just where the sun's rays began to disappear, for the ocean was now at its deepest depth of all. Even more so, it got darker because of the negative energy surrounding the mysterious underwater lair. But even though it was so dark, the Keeper of the Sea could see it clearly with her soft blue eyes. It was a castle- Greedmon's castle.

It was built in the same fashion as a medieval fortress of ancient European culture, so it seemed puzzling that such a thing would be kept underwater. But Oceanamon knew that the ocean was Greedmon's chosen lair, just as it was once the chosen lair of an older Dark Master, Metal Seadramon.

Once the mermaid with the extra-long tail discovered this fortress at last, she paused to gaze in wonder at it, but then she quickly turned around and swam away, before anything or anyone from inside would discover that she was there.

"Would you stop saying that? For the last time, Ashley's not a Mary-Sue!"

"Yeah? Well, she just acts like she's Little Miss Perfect all the time. So what if she's so smart and talented? I don't see her winning any pageants, do I? Oh, I guess that'll be the next thing she goes after."

"You don't know her at all, Davis- I mean, Daisuke! She really likes you, you know that?"

"Oh yeah? Well she has a funny way of showing it, the way she always hangs around the older guys."

"She just does that to get your attention, and I guess it worked!"

"The only reason why you like her is because she's a lot like you, and that's why I'm not interested! The last person I would ever date would be somebody that reminds me of my sister!"

"Alright, you two! Knock it off," said Saberdramon, as he carried Jun and Veedramon Zero on his back while soaring over the open sea.

She was most conscious about this tagalong Veedramon; during her argument with her brother, who was being carried by his own Champion partner, ExVeemon, she almost forgot the fact that the Veedramon actually knew him, but by a different name, Daisuke. So she vowed to herself that whatever happened on their adventures, she would act as though her brother's name was Daisuke, or else risk causing confusion and distraught for the aged digimon.

That wasn't the only thing she kept an eye on; Jun turned around and saw that Zero, as he preferred to be called, was flexing his arm muscles and sharpening his claws. She seemed most concerned for him, because she couldn't take her eyes off of the visible scars on his face and torso.

"Zero?" she muttered; "Hm?" he hummed with big bright eyes. She then said, "My brother may not have his full crest yet, but I think he has the power to make digimon become Ultimates. Maybe… Well, I mean, if you want to…"

He blinked, "Change to Ultimate? …Nah, I'm okay as I am."

"Are you sure?" she argued; "'Cause I'm pretty sure Greedmon is a Mega digimon, and that's hard to beat."

Davis overheard them talking, and took slight offense of being reminded that he was short one piece of his much-desired Crest of Nobility. Still, he stepped in to say, "We'll be fine, Jun. Just focus on getting your crest, and then Saberdramon will be all the muscle we'll need."

"He's right, Jun," added her own partner; "Even if we have to fight Greedmon, we'll win because it's all a part of our destiny."

"Destiny," Jun muttered to herself; she then began to think to herself, "_I'm not sure of we should put all our hope on something we can't really prove is real… I'm starting to think these guys got this far mostly on pure luck."_

They were picking up speed toward the area of the open sea that Oceanamon had discovered the hidden fortress of Greedmon. Following her path wasn't so hard for them, because she had cleverly left a trail of sea bubbles for them to follow. "We're almost there," sensed the huge black bird; Ex-Veemon smelled the salty air and nodded, "Yeah. I can feel it, too; I can see the water getting darker, too."

Then they saw something emerge from the water; it was Oceanamon, waving to them in her own way of signaling they have reached their destination. Saberdramon and ExVeemon floated down to the water, but were able to hover just above the water's surface.

The mermaid-like Keeper smiled to them, "This has been a long time coming, you guys; are you ready?" "I am!" cheered Davis; "So am I!" followed an equally excited Zero.

Jun then asked Oceanamon, "So, Greedmon's home is down there underwater?" The blue-skinned mermaid shook her head, "Yes, but it won't be underwater for long." Jun blinked in surprise, "What? But I thought-" The mermaid replied quickly, "That you were just going to sneak in and out? I'm afraid it won't be that easy; I can tell that Greedmon knows you're here. So we might as well give ourselves somewhat of an advantage…"

She then dipped her head back into the water, making the boy who would be Daisuke wonder, "…What does she mean by that?"

They got their answer to the sound of water gushing from below. Alarmed, the winged Champions fluttered back into the sky, making way for a great whirlpool that had appeared seemingly from out of nowhere.

This was, of course, the work of the Keeper of the Seas; she wasted no time in uncovering Greedmon's underwater lair, by draining it of all its ocean water.

Now the lair was surrounded by a towering wall of water; the humans and their partners could easily walk into it without struggling for air. Before the winged Champions landed, though, they took time to stare in wonder and awe at the dark castle that suddenly stood before them.

From behind the ocean wall, the Digi-Keeper watched as her heroes made a soft landing on the wet, seaweed-painted ground. Davis and Zero jumped down at the same time, while Jun took her time descending from Saberdramon's back.

Oceanamon smiled to them, "Remember, children, the true key to your victory lies within your hearts." Davis just smiled to her and waved, "Don't worry about us, Oceanamon! We'll be back with Jun's crest before you can say… Aw, the heck with it. Let's go!"

He then led the charge, with ExVeemon and Veedramon Zero close behind. Jun, on the other hand, watched as Oceanamon disappeared into the water, then she was the last to follow Davis toward the castle.

At the front of it stood a towering doorway, which had in front of it a black gate much like the kind of gates any typical medieval fortress would have.

Just as the heroes stepped close enough to it, the gate began to lift itself open. The gang watched as the door that was guarded by the gate opened slowly once the gate had been lifted. It was as if the castle was inviting them in as honored guests.

Davis gulped and said to the others, "Brace yourselves, guys…" With that, they entered with caution.

The interior of the castle seemed to reek of saltwater and seaweed, just as its exterior did. But on top of that, it was pitch black to the point where one wouldn't be able to see what was in front of his eyes, and there was a wintry chill in the air that sent chills down Jun and Davis's spines.

It became all the darker and all the colder when the front door suddenly slammed itself shut, locking in the guests.

Jun gasped first, and then became silenced by her sudden fear. "…P-Penguinmon?" she stuttered; "Where are you?"

"I'm over here, Jun!"

"Where?"

"Here!" He started flapping his flippers in the air, hoping to catch his partner with them, and when he did, she screamed, "AH!" "Sorry," his voice replied, "that was me." "Oh, whew," her voice sighed back.

"Davish?"

"I'm right here, Veemon."

"Is thish your hand I got?"

"That's me."

"Oh, sh-orry Zero."

"And that's not my hand, it's my tail."

"Oopsh."

"Who's hand do I have?" asked Davis's voice.

"I think it's mine," answered the voice of his sister.

"How can you tell?"

"Here, lemmie squeeze it."

"OW!"

"Oh! Sorry, Zero! I thought you were my brother."

"Hey, you got a good grip for such small hands."

"Then whose hand do I have??"

"It's me, Davish."

"Oh, hey Veemon."

"Who's Davis?"

"He meant Daisuke, Zero."

"Oh."

Davis's sneaker then stepped onto something on the floor; it was a marking of some kind, a stigma of an ancient digital code. The stigma then set off a series of golden lit stigmas, which were clearly etched out not just on the floor, but also on the walls and the ceiling of this great hall the heroes were venturing in.

It was one moment of radiance that lit up the room, showing everyone where they were and in which direction they were going, and then, just like that, it was over; the room fell back into total darkness.

"…What was that?" peeped an invisible Davis; an invisible Zero replied, "It was some kind of map. There are lots of buildings in the digital world that have codes like that; they're meant to preserve certain amounts of data, like the hardware of a computer or something."

Veemon was impressed at how wise the old Veedramon was; he smiled invisibly, "Wow. Dazzat mean we're in sh-ome kind of computer right now?" Zero's voice replied, "No, it just means that this place must have some kind of special power to it. Or, it could mean that it's got a hidden message… Or it could be a tra-"

_WHOOSH!_

Just like that, as if on cue, the stigmas started glowing again, in a pattern of an ancient code that none of them could read. This time, the glowing stayed visible, illuminating the great hall in a tone of gold. While the rest of them watched in awe, Davis gulped to Zero, "…Let me guess… a trap?"

He must have been right, because just then, the glow became even brighter, almost blinding. The stigmatic codes on the walls, floor and ceiling, unleashed before the heroes a stream of pure data. It filled up the room like air, bouncing off the humans and digimon as if they were mirrors.

Jun and Davis looked closely at the data codes that were painted on their bodies in wonder; it was like watching reflected light coming from the rippling water of a pool. It didn't hurt at all, but at the same time it didn't make any sense.

Though the moment was peaceful and harmless, all of the adventurers were taken in by a feeling of uncertainty and doom.

And then, everything went white…

"…Davis? …Davis Motomiya, are you awake yet? You're gonna be late for school! Again!!"

This was the usually "chipper" voice of Davis's mother coming from the hallway, which was sealed off by the closed bedroom door. Davis lazily fluttered his eyes open and found himself in his own bed, as if waking up from a very strange and very long dream. He yawned loudly and stretched his arms and legs to their limit.

But then, as he literally rolled himself out of bed, he realized that he touched ground with his tan Timberland hiking shoes- the same ones he was wearing in the digital world.

He gasped, "Wha?" as he took a better look at the shoes. His eyes then crawled up his legs, seeing that he was still wearing his dark green khaki shorts, and his yellow paradise-themed un-buttoned shirt over his white undershirt. This was the same exact outfit he had on the last time he was awake; he even had his hand-me-down goggles still attached to his head.

"WAA!" he screamed, freaked out completely at the fact that here he was, in his bedroom, in what seemed to be the real world.

Then someone else who was in the room with him heard his outcry and peeped, "Davish?" The young boy turned around to the bed with a, "Huh?" and saw a little lump sticking out from underneath the blue blanket. He uncovered it to reveal Veemon, his digimon partner.

"Davish!" gasped the little blue dragon, who was just as freaked out by his surroundings as his partner was; "What happened? Where are we??" Davis fluttered his eyes, as if doubting his senses, "I dunno, Veemon! Last thing I remember was going inside Greedmon's palace!" "Me too," nodded Veemon; "It's like we both had the same dream."

Davis's curious eyes scouted the room, seeing that it was completely in tact and down to the last detail and said, "…I don't think that was a dream, Veemon… Maybe this is the dream." Veemon then bounced out of the bed and suggested, "You want me to pinch you to make sure it is?"

Not in the mood to be pinched, Davis shook his head, "No! Come on, let's go figure this out somewhere else…" Not arguing with him there, Veemon followed his partner out of the room and into the hallway.

While descending from the stairs, Davis and Veemon picked up the sweet smell of pancakes being cooked in the kitchen. Driven by their hunger, they rushed through the living room and straight into the dining room, where sure enough the table was set with not one, but two sets of forks, knives and napkins- one for Davis, and perhaps the second was for Veemon.

The two of them sat next to each other at the table, each grabbing a fork and knife and started drooling with hunger. "Mmmm, pancakes!" they purred as Davis's mother came into the scene with huge trays of stacked pancakes. She placed them in front of the heroes and smiled, "Here you go, boys. Eat up." Not arguing with her, the two of them started wolfing down their food as if they hadn't eaten in a lifetime.

But then, just as Davis had a mouth full of food that made him look like a chipmunk gathering nuts for the winter, it hit him; this looked just like a normal day in his normal life, except now Veemon was in it. He gulped down his food roughly and looked to his mother and muttered, "Uh, Mom?" She looked to him with an innocent look on her face and smiled, "Yes, dear?" "Have you noticed anything weird about this picture?" he asked. "Like what, Davis?" she blinked; "Like," he replied with a raised eyebrow, "the fact that Veemon is here?"

Veemon took offense and frowned, "What, you want me to leave?" "No," his partner muttered; he was trying to show Veemon that he was testing his mother.

But she said, "Oh, I don't mind Veemon. He can stay here for as long as he wants." Davis and Veemon then bulged their eyes; "Huh??" they both blinked in surprise. Davis's mother just smiled again, "You two better get going, or you'll be late for school."

"School?" Davis gasped; "But… But weren't we just…" "Just what, dear?" blinked his mother, seeming to be confused.

Davis was beside himself; he could have sworn that he was supposed to be in the digital world, preparing for a battle that would determine who would keep his sister's Crest of Humility.

This scene didn't feel right at all… but he knew he could never win a fight against his mother, so he sighed, "…Okay, mom. I'm ready." Not much else was said after that; Davis and Veemon now felt that they had no choice but to head for high school.

That was the one place Davis never wanted to be, whether he was on a heroic mission or not.

On that same beautiful day, while still in her peaceful little neighborhood, Jun walked Penguinmon down the street to look at life on Earth. The little purple penguin waddled in at fairly slow pace, watching everything carefully, for it would be the very first time he would ever see the way humans lived.

Just as shocked to be in the real world was Jun; she took her time walking down the street as well. She couldn't believe her eyes, but they showed her a pleasant empty street with parked cars, and behind them were little houses with fences, staircases, and the whole bit.

"Jun…" muttered the little penguin beside her, "are we still in Greedmon's palace?" His partner blinked, "I dunno, Penguinmon… It looks like we wound up in my world." "But how?" Penguinmon wondered; Jun was just as baffled and replied, "I dunno. Maybe we were sent here for some reason…"

Perhaps, he thought, she was right; so Penguinmon didn't argue with her any longer, but instead continued on their way through the pleasant neighborhood.

They stopped at a corner, where nearby in a small park sat a little playground. Penguinmon approached it, with his eyes fixed on the little creatures that ran around carelessly. He saw more of them swinging on swings, sliding down a slide, and playing games like double-dutch and hopscotch.

"Jun…" he blinked in awe, "are these humans?" Jun looked at the children in play, and nodded with a smile, "Yes, of course they are."

The little penguin replied with a gleam in his eyes, "I never saw them so small before… Are they In-Training, or Babies?" His human friend felt compelled to giggle, knowing fully well what he meant by that question; but she instead just replied patiently, "No, Penguinmon; they're just little kids. Humans don't jump to the next level, like digimon do; we just start out small, and keep growing bigger as we get older."

"Oh," nodded Penguinmon; "…Does that mean you're really old?"

She giggled at last, "Heh-heh, no… I'm only eighteen; I still have a while to go before I get to be my biggest."

Her partner then looked to her, and with a certain tone of voice, he said, "You'll never get back to being a child though, would you?" She shook her head, "No."

His disappointment was all the more distinct when he glanced to the ground and frowned, "Aww… I wish I could've seen that; I'll bet you were the cutest baby human ever."

Jun was warmed by this comment, and she purred, "Aww… Don't worry, Penguinmon; you didn't miss much." She then gave him a soft noogie on the head, making him giggle.

"Look! That lady's got a digimon!"

"It's a cute little penguin!"

These were the voices of two children nearby; Jun and Penguinmon jumped in surprise to hear it. They then looked back and saw that the children, who were a moment before minding their own business, were now charging at them with joy.

They rushed Penguinmon and started hugging him and pulling at the antennae-like feathers on his head as if he were a doll; in reaction, he screamed in shock. "Hey, stop!" Jun barked; "Leave him alone!"

But then Penguinmon calmed himself, realizing that the children weren't attacking him, they were trying to cuddle him. He smiled warmly, "…Aww… Look Jun, they like me."

Jun was still stunned and blinked, "Wha…? But… How do they know what you are?" To answer her question, one of the children looked to her and smiled innocently, "We know all about digimon, Miss. We always wanted one; you're really lucky!"

Jun then realized what was going on; it was as if they had reentered the real world at a time when humans and digimon seemed to co-exist… or something like that. She stood there puzzled, as Penguinmon was now getting tickled by the children; he laughed uncontrollably.

Somehow, perhaps by the grace of God or some other phenomenon in the universe, Davis and Veemon made it just in time to reach the first floor hallway of the high school building before classes were in session.

The really funny thing was that Davis didn't feel the slightest bit silly that he was the only teenager in that hallway that had a digimon walking by his side.

All of the other teens in the hall, gathering their books or socializing with their own respective groups, didn't seem to be the least bit freaked out that there was a digimon in the hall.

Veemon was excited to be there; he started picking up his pace as he cheered, "This is gonna be sh-o cool! I'll get to take all yer clashes, play in the gym, eat yer lunch… Hey Davish? You think I'd make a good Show And Tell project?" Davis, with his schoolbag wrapped around his arms, shrugged, "Come on, Veemon, we're not in grade school anymore.

"…But I would like to see the look on my professors' faces when they finally see you. None of them believed me when I talked about you guys, and now I'll finally have the proof in front of me."

"I thought that voice sounded familiar."

Davis and Veemon heard this equally familiar voice, coming from behind a closing locker door just a few feet in front of them. Upon recognizing their old friend, Veemon and Davis jumped up in jubilation; "Hey, Ken!" cheered Davis; Veemon then looked down to see who was at Ken's feet and cheered, "And Wormmon!"

Indeed, it was Ken and Wormmon; it was as if nothing that had happened a few days ago actually happened, and here they both were in full condition, ready for their classes. Bright-eyed, Davis approached them first and smiled gratefully, "Ken, you're alright! How'd you get out of that coma?"

His best friend looked at him in an almost blank manner and blinked, "…Coma? What're you talking about, Davis?"

The spiky-haired young man explained, "Don't you remember? We were fighting Gluttonymon in the desert, and he threw you into that Power Spine, and it made you go crazy, and then you got knocked out cold?" "Yeah, yeah!" bounced Veemon; "I was there! I sh-aw the whole thing! Wormmon, you were there too! Remember?"

Veemon felt just as closely to Wormmon as Davis did to Ken, so the little blue dragon was shocked to hear his green caterpillar-like buddy look back at him blankly and reply, "…I don't know what you're talking about, Veemon."

"Huh?" frowned the disappointed blue dragon; his face not only dropped, but so did the horns on top of his head, slightly.

Davis couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he confronted Ken about it with, "Dude, you don't remember? You musta got hit harder than I thought."

His buddy then replied calmly, "Uh… Look, Davis, we can talk about this later. Right now, my class is about to start."

"Like when?"

**RI-I-I-I-I-I-ING!**

"…Like, right now."

Ken then gathered up his book and motioned to his digimon partner, "Come on, Wormmon."

Wormmon was about to follow his friend down the hall, when Veemon stepped forward and uttered, "Wormmon, wait." The little caterpillar turned back to him; Veemon asked, "Don't tell me everything that happened before wa-sh just a dream." Wormmon seemed ashamed to not know what his friend was talking about, and it showed in his eyes as he replied, "I'm sorry, Veemon… We'll talk later." With that, he scurried off after Ken.

Davis and Veemon just stared at each other, puzzled about how their friends were acting. "Dude," Davis muttered, "first my mom, and now Ken and Wormmon? What's next?" Veemon frowned, "I dunno; you got any more friends around here?" "Just TK and Kari," shrugged Davis, "and if they start acting weird, I'm outta here."

Then they decided to try and go with the flow by entering their first period classroom nearby.

Zero was blushing meekly, and even sweat-dropped at the sight of thousands of humans gathered together at a convention in downtown Odaiba. They were all gathered in his honor, apparently; there were TV cameras and news people amidst the adoring crowd of humans. Cameras flashed as he stood there, atop a podium, not sure just what to do or say.

"So tell us, Zero," said an interviewer nearby, "what's it like in the digital world? Being a digimon, you must consider it to be like your second home, right?"

Feeling humbled and proud at the same time by this sudden barrage of fans, Veedramon Zero cleared his throat and said, "Well, uh… Yeah. I was born in the digital world, as were all digimon. Oh, it's a nice place, once you get used to it… and, after you've defeated every evil bad guy it has to offer."

"Yes," said another interviewer, "tell us about that last great battle. It must have been amazing!"

The aged Champion blinked his eyes; for once, he was totally clueless. He scratched his head and replied, "…I… honestly don't remember what happened. I must've been knocked out or something."

Another human took up a microphone and said, "But you must have been a key factor in the war; you've obviously become one of the most popular digimon of all."

Again, the Champion was honored by the human's comment, and he replied with a sheepish grin, "Uh, heh. Yeah… Well, I wouldn't call myself the best; I really owe all my training to my human friends. Particularly, to my best buddy of all time, Taichi Yagami."

He was a bit surprised at himself; that was the first time in a while since Zero had ever even thought of his old human partner, let alone speak of him.

Just a few minutes before this moment, the Champion was asking himself how he even got to this place. But now, as he was getting showered with praise by hundreds of humans at once, he was suddenly feeling at peace with himself.

Time seemed to have gone by very fast, for before they knew it, Davis and Veemon were in their school stadium, sitting by on the bleachers near Ken and Wormmon while their soccer team was in the middle of practice.

Davis observed his surroundings well; it was a beautiful day with a clear sky, the soccer field had fresh green grass, and the team was all over the field, missing this ball and tripping over that ball, and all the while Ken was fiddling with his laptop computer, just as he was just a few days before they left for the digital world… if they left at all.

While watching his teammates, Davis commented with a grumpy look on his face, "Well, Veemon, so far nothing else is out of the ordinary… the team still sucks." His nearby friend then replied, "Well, you gotta hand it to them; at least they keep trying."

Davis then turned over to Ken and asked, "What exactly are you typing over there?" Ken glanced at him and remarked, "Some of us have school projects that're more important than disappointing soccer practices." Davis raised an eyebrow; he could have sworn that Ken made a similar comment just days… no, months ago.

It all seemed like a déjà vu at that point, so he said, "Hey, Ken? How come nobody looks freaked out at the fact that we got our digimon here?" While his focus was on his computer screen, Ken replied, "Don't you remember what happened, Davis? We won the war already; the two worlds are at peace now."

Davis gasped, "What? When did that happen?"

Ken then stopped what he was doing at last, turned to Davis and explained, "You must've been knocked out or something; all I know is that our team won the fight against Daemon's minions. Soon after that, we came back home and all our digimon came back with us."

Davis and Veemon exchanged looks, and then Davis inquired, "Does that mean we don't have to fight anymore? Is that why everybody's cool with digimon now?"

Ken smiled, "They're not just cool with it; you might just see some digimon walking by out of nowhere. They're free to roam our world now, 'cause the last battle caused a permanent bridge between their world and ours. Now we're free to go back and forth whenever we want to. And you and I, along with the others, have it even better 'cause now we're like universal heroes now."

Davis seemed tickled by this idea; he grinned, "Really? Does that mean we had a party an' everything? Did we get a parade? Did we each get medals, or crowns, or something?" His best friend then frowned, "…Geez, Davis; where've you been?" Davis felt completely lost at that point and dropped his smile, "...uh… I'm not sure…"

Veemon then nudged Davis gently and said, "I think he may be right, Davish; sh-omething did happen to us when we were in Greedmon's cashtle. You think they put ush in a coma?" Davis scratched his head, which was already starting to hurt, and replied, "I'm not sure, Veemon; I'm confused enough as it is."

Ken then resumed typing on his laptop and said calmly, "Maybe you shouldn't worry about it so much; just enjoy the fact that all our battling is behind us now." "…Are you sure about that, dude?" Davis wondered; Ken nodded, "If it wasn't, then why would I be here worried about a school project?"

Davis then blinked in curiosity; for once, he wanted to see just what Ken was so focused on. He moved down from the two rows of bleachers that separated the two of them, moved in as closely as he could to an unsuspecting Ken, and just as he reached for the laptop he asked, "Can I see what you're typing? Just for a sec."

Alarmed, Ken saw him coming two seconds too late and gasped, "Hey! What're you doing?"

Quickly, Davis grabbed the laptop and turned it to his face. For an instant, he could see unreadable symbols on the computer screen; it wasn't Japanese writing, as it should have been, but rather a font that seemed to make no sense at all.

Then just as quickly as it was taken away from him, Ken grabbed the laptop back. He then clutched onto it and barked at his friend, "What is your problem, Davis? You saw I was busy!"

Davis raised an eyebrow in surprise, "…Dude, that writing made no sense."

In his defense, Ken remarked, "Just leave it alone; why don't you go to your girlfriend over there?" Still baffled, Davis blinked, "Girlfriend? Where?" Ken pointed to his far left, "Over there!"

Davis looked in that direction, and all he saw at the end of the field was a team of cheerleaders in the middle of practice. But then he looked more closely, and recognized one of the girls: Ashley Weindenbaum.

Davis then made a face and argued with Ken, "Ashley? Dude, she's not my girlfriend. She's a Mary-Sue!" "Whatever," muttered his annoyed friend as he went back to his so-called school project.

Davis could see that he bugged Ken long enough; it was time to explore the other side of this mystery.

Davis and Veemon were approaching the cheerleaders as they were in the middle of one of their many practiced cheers; neither the young man nor the digimon paid a bit of attention to what they were chanting, just that one of them seemed to be on their side. In fact, she was the one coaching the team of cheerleaders at the time, and only stopped giving her group orders when she finally saw Davis and Veemon coming.

"…Okay, take five guys!" ordered Ashley, and on command, the rest of them started to move away. She then turned her attention to Davis and smiled, "Davis…" "Hey, Ash," he waved; Ashley then looked down at the little blue dragon next to him and smiled, "And Veemon." Veemon blinked in confusion, "Have we met?"

Davis then made the introductions, "Veemon, this is Ashley; she's Jun's friend." "Oh!" smiled the Rookie; "I heard about you; Davis talks about you." "He does?" smiled the young lady; Veemon nodded in reply, "Yeah. He says that you're a Mary S-"

"SO!" Davis cut him off just in time, thus leaning his elbow on the little digimon's head for support as he leaned back; "Whatcha up to these days, Ash?" The young lady brushed her long hair back and replied nonchalantly, "Oh, I guess it's nothing special, what after hearing all the amazing things you guys did in the digital world."

"You know about that?"

"Davis, everybody knows about that! You're world famous, you know."

"…I am??"

"Yes! They're actually talking about making special holidays for each of you Digi-Destined."

Davis never felt so honored or touched at the same time; he blushed, "Wow… I guess that explains why all the teachers went easy on me." The young lady then dropped her smile slightly and wondered, "So… I guess now that you're back, things are gonna be different around here."

"Whaddya mean different?" Davis blinked; "I haven't changed a bit."

Ashley explained, "Well, you're famous now… I'll bet you'll be rich too, so you might as well move out to Hawaii or something, and buy your own place. Maybe buy a couple cars, or whatever."

The young man was tickled by her comment and giggled, "Puh, dude!… I'm only fifteen; I'm too young to drive! And besides, I like it here. All my friends are here, you're here, Kari's here…"

Ashley then sighed, "Oh yeah, Kari… Have you seen her today?" Davis shook his head, "Nah; she's got a way different school schedule than I do, and she's probably home by now. But maybe I'll see her later."

Ashley's face started to show a slight change, as if she was beginning to feel insecure; she tapped her toes on the grass and glanced downward as she said, "Sure, you do that. And tell her I said hi, too; I barely get a chance to see her."

Davis was getting the vibe that Ashley wasn't enjoying this conversation, and asked, "Hey, wh-what's wrong, Ash? Did I say something?" The young lady then took a breath and replied, "I'm sorry, Davis; I don't think I should be saying anything, but I know how much you like her. I hope you don't mind me saying so, but…"

"What?" he asked worriedly; Ashley said, "Well, it's just that she's changed lately. She just seems a little stuck-up to me."

"Stuck-up? Kari?? No way!"

"No, it's true; every time I get a chance to talk to her, she makes it a quick conversation and then leaves with a bunch of her closest friends. It's as if she hates talking to me. Has she ever done that to you?"

"No, Kari's the sweetest girl I've ever known. You just gotta get to know her better; she loves digimon and would do anything for them. I'll bet she'll grow up to be some kind of digimon teacher or conversationalist, or something."

"But that's just it; she seems too perfect."

"Exactly; she's perfect! She's…"

And then, it hit him like a ton of bricks; this was the same exact argument that he had with his sister earlier, only they weren't debating about Kari's character, but Ashley's. And here she stood face to face with him, as if putting him through some kind of test.

Davis also noticed something else; there was a look of insecurity in Ashley's eyes, as if she were jealous of Kari, or perhaps she just felt like she didn't fit in with Davis's circle of friends.

The young man then gulped, "…Um, maybe we should just change the subject." "What's the point?" sighed Ashley; "All we ever talk about are the digimon. Not that I'm bored with them; it's just that I really have no idea how to approach them."

Davis then smiled, "I can teach you! We'll hang out sometime and I can show you everything; how to help them digivolve, and stuff. It'll be like a special class or something! Whaddya say?"

The young lady paused, glancing at Veemon for a moment, and then she gave Davis a small nod, "We'll see… I'm sorry, Davis; I guess I'm just not on the same page as you are… And I gotta say, I'm kinda disappointed at that."

The young man then felt a mutual pain of discontent in his heart and frowned, "Yeah… I think I am too."

For once, in this entire time that he and Veemon felt out of place in the world, there was a sense of peace between them.

Up until that moment, they were wondering why they were home, but now, as they were slowly but surely getting to know Ashley, they were finally feeling home at last.

The heart of Odaiba seemed to be pumping with the usual hustle and bustle of people going to work, enjoying their lunch breaks and rendezvousing with friends old and new, as usual.

But as Jun and Penguinmon traveled down one street, they could see that there were digimon walking around. On one corner stood a tall green Ogremon, waiting for a bus along with some humans, and in the window of a nearby clothing store stood "models" of Gotsumon. And even the cars that drove by had maybe one or two digimon behind the steering wheels, honking their horns to coax the cars in front of them to keep moving.

It all seemed too surreal for Jun, but at this point she had gotten the gist of what was going on. She started to think aloud, "…So, the war's over? We can all live in peace now?" Her digimon partner looked up to her while waddling by her side and frowned in disappointment, "I guess it's true, Jun; but I'm really bummed that we missed the last fight."

Jun hung her head, feeling just as disappointed, and sighed, "I know how you feel, Penguinmon… I guess the others really didn't need me after all. I've felt like a fifth wheel from the moment I came to the digital world; now I can see for myself that it was all for nothing."

Penguinmon then stopped in front of her and said, "That's not true. Jun, I've been watching you, and you get stronger and stronger every day. I know that even now, when it looks like we don't have to fight anymore, we can still be heroes."

Jun the replied with a faintness of spirit, "But Penguinmon, I never got my crest. What good am I if I don't have all my Digi-Destined tools?" Her purple-feathered friend gave her a warm smile and a soft chuckle to go with it, "It's okay. You only need a crest when it's time to battle, but just because you don't have it on you doesn't mean you're not a Digi-Destined. See Jun, it's not the crest that makes you who you are; it's your own heart and soul that gives you power."

"Really?" she replied meekly; Penguinmon nodded, "Yep. We may not have known each other for very long, but let me tell you something: I couldn't be prouder to be your digimon partner, 'cause I know you got this special gift inside that's just waiting to bust out."

Jun's self doubt was almost completely erased by that comment, and she gave him a warm smile, "Gosh, Penguinmon… I do wish I've met you sooner." The little penguin just blushed.

"No… No more interviews, please!"

It felt like hours had gone by, and during all that time, Zero had been swarmed with paparazzi and autograph-hunting fans from one street corner to another. All he really wanted was to eat, or exercise, or do something instead of being adored by many nameless humans.

As he approached a dark alleyway in the neighborhood, more people were hounding for his attention, and he was getting sick of it.

Gracefully but sternly, he pushed these annoying humans away, going, "Come on, move it! Move it; I'm looking for a place to rest." He finally got away from them as he pulled himself into the alley, where there were trashcans lined up against the walls and where clotheslines dangled across the neighboring windows.

Zero rubbed his eyes in frustration, growling softly to himself, "Yeesh! …I never had this much attention in my life, and I think I know why now: I don't like it!"

He then leaned back against one of the alley walls, catching his breath in an attempt to relax. The aged Veedramon then started to talk to himself out loud; perhaps he was used to it, for he was after all a loner for many years.

"I never had a chance to be famous like this before… Maybe I just need to get used to it. Then again, I don't remember the last time I had the chance to live in peace. I've always been fighting one bad guy after another, whether Taichi was with me or not… Hmm…

"I hate this. I hate not doing anything; I wanna go back to the days when I was a fighter; back then I was proud to call myself a Champion! I just get so bored when I'm doing NOTHING!"

In his frustration, the Veedramon turned around to the wall he was leaning up against, and let loose his balled right fist on it.

_WHOOSH!_

To his shock, the brick wall didn't break like it was supposed to; instead, it rippled like water. More than that, the rippling was accompanied by a series of small digital codes, like the stigmas he saw in Greedmon's underwater castle. Funny enough, that was the last thing he remembered, seeing a room filled with codes like that, and activating as well.

Zero blinked, "…Are human walls supposed to do that?" No, human walls were not supposed to ripple like water; they were supposed to shatter when punched by a Veedramon.

Then it hit him; the wall wasn't real. It couldn't have been real, otherwise it wouldn't have made sense as to why it didn't break.

Zero narrowed his eyes, "…Wait… I get it now. I don't think I'm in the real world. I don't think I left that castle at all! …This has gotta be a trick, all of it! And I gotta stop it somehow; those kids might need me right now!" He wasted no time in running out of that so-called alleyway.

When he did, he took to the imaginary street, and frantically looked around for a power source. There had to be one, and it had to be big; no illusion this powerful would be without an enormous power source.

Then he looked ahead and upward, at the two towers that stood at the highest level of the entire city. His eyes narrowed again, "That must be it…"

The sun was beginning to set, painting the clouds in the sky soft purple and orange, and turning the sky itself a bright blue fading into midnight blue. In a grassy field, far away from any people or any cares, Jun and Penguinmon laid back and watched the beauty of the scene.

The little penguin made a deep sigh, "This is the life… No battles, no enemies; just lyin' in the sun, minding our own business." Jun looked asleep with her eyes closed, but she was in fact in a moment of deep serenity; she smiled, "Yeah. This is how life should be; a world where humans and digimon can live in peace together. It's way too good to be true."

"…Maybe it is too good to be true," muttered Penguinmon, as his big red eyes gazed at the sky and caught sight of something unusual. Jun opened one eye and peeped, "What, something wrong?" Penguinmon replied nonchalantly, "Oh, nothing… That is, if it's normal in the human world for the sky to ripple like water and reveal golden lights in the process."

"…Golden lights?" Jun frowned, opening both eyes in reaction. She then saw for herself that the sky was starting to ripple, as if it were a puddle and somebody just set foot in it. Small glowing digi-codes were flashing along with the ripple effect, much to Jun's shock.

She sat up and gasped, "Oh my gosh, what is that??" Penguinmon sat up as well and frowned, "I dunno, but I think it's safe to say we're in trouble now."

"V-NOVA BLAST!"

**FOOM!!**

Once and again, then three times, Zero hit the two tallest towers of the city, knowing full well that this has to be the spot where the illusion was at its strongest.

Like bolts of lightning, his energy attacks exploded on impact with the towers, as Zero worked his way from top to bottom. Soon enough, the effect of his attacks would send rippling digital codes all over the place…

Ashley, Davis and Veemon have been hanging out by themselves at the soccer field while the sun was still setting. At this point, the three of them had done more bonding with each other than it seemed they ever had. Ashley was especially enjoying Veemon's company, who proved to be both cute and entertaining. She found him especially cute when he started trying on the goggles that Davis had been given by his mentor, Tai.

"Heheheheheh!" laughed Veemon as he proudly wore the goggles on his small, round head; "Look at me, now I'm a Digi-Deschtined leader! Let's go schave the digital world, and afterwards we'll play schoccer!!"

Ashley laughed at the Rookie, while Davis, sitting up beside Ashley on the cool grass, tapped his fingers and smiled impatiently, "Ha-ha, very funny. Okay, you fooled around long enough with those goggles; can I have 'em back now?" Veemon gave him a face in reply as he held onto them to keep them from slipping off his forehead, "…No! I alwaysh wanted to try 'em on! It'sh my turn!"

Davis started to get paranoid and argued, "Seriously, Veemon; those goggles are kinda old; you can break 'em." The little digimon then started to hop around and tease him, "Yer jusch jealousch, 'cause I look better with 'em on!"

Ashley started laughing, but Davis grit his teeth with frustration; "Alright, that does it!" he growled; he then got to his feet and continued, "Give 'em back, or I'll use you as the soccer ball!"

"Nyah-nyah! Nyah-nyah-nyah!" teased Veemon, as he started the chase for the goggles. He laughed himself silly as he raced down the field, with Davis close behind. When he finally caught up with his digimon partner, the two of them tumbled like tumbleweed for a few seconds, and then made a not so soft landing at the very end of the field.

But it was there when the two of them stopped being silly, for something caught their eyes in the sky. Just as Jun and Penguinmon had seen it from where they were relaxing, now Davis and Veemon could see the air rippling like disturbed water. "…what is that?" muttered a confused and nearly scared Davis; Veemon gulped, "I dunno… Should we go find out what it ish?"

"We should go tell Ashley," suggested the young man; he then turned around to say, "Hey Ash—" To Davis's shock and dismay, the girl that he was slowly beginning to bond with had vanished. Both he and Veemon dropped their jaws; "Wha?" they both muttered in confusion. Davis then looked back to the sky and narrowed an eye, "…That settles it! Something's been wrong all day, and I'm gonna find out what it is!"

The young man then led the charge long before his partner got the nerve to even move; he was still taken by surprise. Only when Davis came back, yanked the goggles off his head and yelled, "Gimmie those!" and ran off with them did Veemon finally get the gusto to take off in a hurry.

In less than twenty minutes, the two separated teams of humans and digimon partners came together at the highest towers of the city, where they caught sight of their new friend Veedramon Zero tearing them down ever so slowly with his "V-Nova Blasts."

They witnessed that with each of his attacks, the earth and everything around it started shaking and rippling all the more.

Jun was the first to approach him as the aged Veedramon started to come down to earth, by shouting, "Zero!! What in heaven's name are you doing!?" The Champion was startled to hear her voice, but recognized it, and so when he turned around to see his new friends, he smiled warmly, "Hey, guys! What you been up to?" Davis replied, "We've been having a great day, until things started shaking up. What's going on?"

The Veedramon paused to breathe, after spending nearly half an hour disrupting the atmosphere, and then said, "Look… Nothing is what it seems around here. Just take my word for it; I know what I'm doing." Jun frowned, "But Zero…" Zero reacted by staring back at her with sympathy written in his eyes; she saw this and felt in her heart that he did in fact know what he was doing. Still, she seemed reluctant about it and hummed, "…Hmm…"

Davis blinked, "You think tearing down the city's tallest buildings is helping things?" Then he felt a little tap on his arm; it was Veemon, who looked up at him and smiled, "The big guy knows what he'sh doing… 'Daischuke.'"

For once, the little Rookie remembered to call him by the name that Zero was familiar with, and Davis couldn't help but smile about it.

So he nodded, "Okay then… This still looks crazy, but we gotta do what we gotta do." He then led Jun in pulling out the instrument of their partner's evolution, the D-3; he commanded, "Digivolve, now!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Champions ------------

"VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………….………………. EXVEEMON!"

"PENGUINMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………………. SABERDRAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

The three Champions then banded together and in chorus they launched their attacks at the towers:

"X-LASER!"

"BLACK SABER!"

"V-NOVA BLAST!"

**KABOOM!!**

In one fowl swoop, the digital codes marked all around the invisible walls started to glow, and then vanish like electric flashes. This caused a ripple effect throughout the atmosphere, ensuring the heroes that everything they have seen, smelled and touched was just an illusion- a perfect illusion that had up until this moment felt all too real.

The rippling effect caused by the illusion's weakened barrier gave way to an enormous room, one forged by brick and wood, like an ancient castle. In fact, that's precisely where they have been all along, Greedmon's castle.

All the while they thought they were in the real world, they've traveled up and down the hidden rooms of this fortress, and now they have found themselves in the very heart of it, an area wide enough to be a grand ballroom, if such a thing were accepted in such a dark and dismal place.

And then, as if he himself were a hologram, a huge golden monster with four dragon faces, one on each side of his head, came snaking through the wall and revealed the rest of his Chinese dragon-like body, covered all down the side and at the end of his tail in claws. Floating on air, he twined himself around the ceiling like a hanging chandelier; he was made almost entirely of metal, so the luster from his body made it seem like he almost was a chandelier.

The creature's fierce green eyes, the ones on his front face, beamed maliciously at the guests, and he smiled at them. There was no doubt in their minds; this was Greedmon. "So," Davis hissed as he shook a fist at the Sin, "it was you who made up all that stuff about us being home!"

Greedmon's front face grinned, "Very perceptive, boy. If you haven't figured it out by now, my castle is more than a fortress; it has its own network that can create life-like optical illusions. Think of it as my own private vacation spot. My intention was to make you all think you had nothing left to fight for, and if you don't mind me bragging, it was going perfectly..."

Then the young man raised an eyebrow, "Then how did you know what our lives are like in the real world? How did you know about the school, and my friends there, and everything? You were never there!" Greedmon's front face spoke again, "Silly boy; how do you think my siblings and I know anything about you Digi-Destined? Your lives aren't hidden from us, because we have an ally that can preserve your world, just as he can preserve ours."

Jun glanced over to her brother and asked, "What is he talking about?" Davis replied softly, "I think he's talking about the Preservers; they're human beings like us that can watch over the digital world from their own… But I didn't know they had access to our world."

The four-faced beast above them started to chuckle softly, "There's a lot about us that you don't know, boy. But I'm sure you know which Preserver I'm referring to…" He knew indeed; Davis narrowed his eyes, "Daru." "Bingo," narrowed the green eyes of the Sin.

Jun's heart started racing with anxiety, as she stared at the monster several feet above her head. Her hands started to twitch as she stepped back and gulped, "Does this mean… we have to fight him now, to get to my crest?"

The Chinese dragon grinned as if in a friendly manner, "Fight? My dear…" He then uncoiled himself and floated downward to Jun's side; as he did, he said to her, "I would _give_ you the Crest of Humility if you want it that badly… But then, why would you? I know you were enjoying that illusionary world you were in, and I could easily make it a reality for you… if you would rather go home and forget about all this."

"Don't listen to him, Jun!" warned her nearby brother; "He's just trying to trick you; you NEED that crest!" Jun turned back to Greedmon, whose right head stared right back at her from her perspective. It said, "You only need your crest if you are willing to fight, Jun. So the real question is, are you?" He then slithered away in mid-air, letting Jun think to herself whether or not she was ready and willing to fight.

Davis couldn't wait for her answer; he grabbed hold of his own crest and turned to ExVeemon; "Okay, I've had it with this jerk! Let's hit it, ExVeemon," he announced. His tall partner, with as much heart as the young man, nodded, "Right!"

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Ultimate ------------

"EXVEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO…………………. PAILDRAMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

"You guys," said Jun to Davis and Paildramon, "this is my fight. I should be able to handle this." Davis replied, "It's okay sis, we'll hold him off while you take the crest and find his Power Spine. You know it's around here somewhere; without it, he'll lose his power."

Still in a cheery mood, Greedmon smiled with all four faces at Jun, "Yes, dear; go ahead and accept your mission if you want to… And while you do that, I'll happily knock your little brother and his friends around. You don't mind, do you?"

Then he launched himself at Paildramon like a snake to a leg. The Ultimate mutant took the hit, and took it hard, getting smacked into a wall and leaving an imprint in the process.

Enraged, Veedramon Zero took a charge at the giant Mega digimon, and leaped onto his left face. The giant metal monster started to whip his neck around in an attempt to shake off the Champion, which proved to be a bit more difficult than it looked.

Jun took this as her long-awaited opportunity to take action. Her partner, the oversized condor-like Champion, swooped over to her, and she grabbed onto his pale talon so that he wouldn't have to stop moving. Together they took to the air, having more than enough room to do so since the room was so wide and high leveled.

While Greedmon seemed to be preoccupied with his enemies, Jun and Saberdramon buzzed around his body to look for the one claw that held within it the Crest of Humility. Sure enough, it showed itself through the palm of one claw near his hind legs by giving off a purple ray of light.

Jun reached out her hand to grab it, and to her surprise, the claw didn't seem to put up much of a fight, so once Saberdramon flew passed it, the crest was as good as Jun's.

**WHAM!**

Zero went flying into another wall, just as Jun had claimed her crest at long last. The sudden crash took her by surprise, and at that moment she realized just how much of an advantage Greedmon had over his enemies. He was at least ten feet long, and had eyes on every side of his head, so no matter where they came from, he was able to see his opponents coming, and was always ready for a counter attack.

Even Davis, who was being very careful not to get caught in the crossfire, started to get thrown around by the mere force of Greedmon's swipes.

Stunned and horrified, Jun paused, and in this state of insecurity, she nearly lost her grip on the crest. "Jun!" squawked Saberdramon, snapping her out of it. "Wha!" she gasped; she then looked to her partner's face and he said, "We've got to get to that Spine, now!"

She gave him a nod, and reluctantly watched her friends get pummeled as she and Saberdramon flew away.

The Power Spine was not that hard to find, because all of the stigmas on the walls of the castle led Saberdramon and Jun right to it. The stigmas were glowing in a series of flashes, and in sequence like Christmas lights.

Saberdramon had only to follow the direction in which they were flashing, and after fluttering through one hall after another, the Spine was discovered in the main tower of the castle.

The giant black bird charged into the tower within the tower, with his human partner attached to his talon. Inside, they got their second look of the inner workings of a Power Spine; the first being Gluttonymon's, and now this. Like Gluttonymon's, it had a whirlpool of core data streaming out from underneath it, bursting uncontrollably to the surface.

"Hit it, Jun!" commanded Saberdramon; with that, Jun raised up her crest and aimed it at the core data, knowing exactly what to do.

"HUMILITY'S LIGHT, ENERGIZE!"

Her crest unleashed its own stream of data; this one was as purple as the feathers of Penguinmon. It collided with the light blue core data, causing it to convert into a purple stream.

Then, as it should have, its flow began to reverse from upward to downward. Soon, the entire Spine illuminated with a purple light, signaling that it was being shut down.

During this time, Greedmon was obviously toying with Davis and his friends. While Zero and Paildramon put up a great fight, they probably could have easily been blown away by Greedmon's attacks. But instead, he just slapped them around the humongous room until they started showing signs of fatigue.

Davis was getting fatigued himself, for he had his own swipes and falling rocks to dodge.

But at the moment the Spine shut down, the glowing digital codes etched in the castle walls started to flicker off, and this time they would shut off permanently. When Greedmon saw this, he finally made four frowns.

His opponents paused from struggling to their feet to notice not only the walls darkening, but also the beginning of what seemed to be an earthquake. In seconds, the entire scene started to tremble; it started softly, but then soon escalated, to the point where neither Davis nor Zero could stay on their feet.

While still hovering in mid-air, as if he never even touched the ground, Greedmon sighed deeply, "Well, there you go. Looks like my game's over."

"What's going on??" asked Davis, as he held onto the wall for dear life; Greedmon replied, "Your sister must have deactivated my Power Spine! Not that it was that important to me; it just means that now this entire castle is going to shatter and cave in on top of all of you! I'll have to take my leave of you, gentlemen; enjoy the last moments of your existence."

The heroes gulped as they watched the giant Sin fade out like a shadow; he took the easy way out, while they had to fly before the walls around them started to fall.

Paildramon quickly gathered himself and jumped into the air; having four wings made it easy for him to stay afloat and therefore bypass the quaking of the earth. "Guess we gotta run," he said in a calm, almost jokingly manner, and quickly swooped over to Davis, scooping him up in his arms.

Zero jumped over to them and blinked, "Got room for one more?" "Get on!" said Paildramon, offering his free arm. Zero took it, but he was heavy enough to make Paildramon use up the rest of his strength just to stay afloat. But then he gathered himself with newfound strength, and took off just before the walls gave way.

They weren't sure where they were going, as the three of them zipped through the halls of the crumbling castle. But to their delight, they happened to cross paths with Jun and Saberdramon by chance.

Together, the whole group of heroes headed in the direction Saberdramon was going, for he seemed to know the way out. He must have figured it out by his previous search for the Spine; all he had to do was go in the opposite direction, and that was that.

Time was not on their side, as the ceilings and walls of Greedmon's ancient castle were now falling brick by brick like dominoes. As fast as Paildramon was, he almost missed being bombarded by debris with every second, as he tore down the halls like a bat out of hell, with Saberdramon close by him.

The two of them were constantly dodging bricks, tapestries and the wooden columns that came falling down on him like rain.

They were only half a mile away from the front door, which was still closed shut, when the ceiling of the main hall caught up with Paildramon and Saberdramon at last. They were almost crushed completely by the falling debris, making all their friends make a jump for it to safety before they followed them into a pile of rubble.

Actually, Saberdramon was the lucky one; he got hit in the back with just one slab of brick, causing him to de-digivolve back into Penguinmon. As he tumbled down the climbing pile of rubble, he soon found himself on the safe side of the destruction, while Paildramon was getting buried.

Getting to his feet, Davis called out, "Paildramon!! …Where are you??" All he saw as a reply was a Stingmon-like claw reaching out from the debris; he was trapped under the biggest pile of debris that there was. Weakly, the claw struggled to move, but it soon shrunk away; apparently, he was de-digivolving.

"_No!_" hollered Davis, horrified that his digimon partner was trampled; he dared to run up to the pile of debris, thinking that perhaps he could do something about the situation. But he couldn't; not one brick was light enough for Davis to lift, no matter how hard he tried.

Zero, slightly rattled by the crash, came to his feet at that moment and paused to breathe. He witnessed "Daisuke's" plight, and gasped in surprise. The aged Veedramon then roared, "Daisuke! Stand back…" Davis turned to the Veedramon and saw in his eyes that he was about to attack. Quickly, Davis got out of his way, knowing what Zero's intentions were.

Zero then prepared himself and fired, "V-NOVA BLAST!" This attack was similar to ExVeemon's "X-Laser," only it was hurled from his mouth and came out in the shape of a "V," and it was enough to digitize the rubble that surrounded Davis's partner.

The digitizing revealed a small and weakened DemiVeemon, who laid out on the floor covered in dirt. "DemiVeemon!" Davis called out; he dashed over to his In-Training partner and collected him in his arms. As he did so, there came another great quake; now the rest of the castle was about to cave in on them.

Zero then turned his attention to the closed front door; he growled, "I'll give this all I got…" He then took a deep breath, gathering all his energy, and roared, "V-NOVA BLAST!"

Like his previous attack, he unleashed a white light of energy through his mouth, as Greymon would, that was enough to jab a hole through the front door. "Hurry!" he then hollered at his friends; "Let's get out of here!"

Jun and Penguinmon wasted no time in leading the charge to the outside world, even as the quake started to pick up momentum, shattering everyone's balance. Davis soon followed after them, looking like a quarterback running down the football field with DemiVeemon as the football. Then finally, Zero followed along.

But the gang was only a few feet away from the doorway, when the corners around it finally gave in and crumbled down. In a final effort to save his friends, Veedramon Zero took a mighty leap forward, straight over the heads of both Davis and Jun. At the last second, his body came to a stunning halt at the doorway, just as the debris came falling down.

He outstretched his flabby but strong arms, catching most of the falling rocks, and became the one and only support over the hole in the wall that would be their exit. When it became too much for his arms alone to carry, the Veedramon then leaned forward, letting the rocks rest on his bulky backside.

The humans and their digimon gazed at him in awe, stunned at this Champion's effort to allow them to escape. "…guys…" he growled between his teeth, as they grinded in frustration of the extra weight, "you… gotta… get out of here, now!"

Davis stepped forward and blinked, "…Zero…" Jun shouted in horror, "Zero! What're you doing? You're gonna get killed!" The aged Veedramon was in no mood to argue, but argue he did, "Come on, kids! Get outta here, while you still can! …I can hold it! …GO!"

The two siblings looked at each other, neither one sure what to do, but then Davis decided to take Zero's advice, and quickly he and DemiVeemon squeezed their way out of the castle through Zero's self-made opening. Next waddled Penguinmon, who just as he reached the opening, shouted to his partner, "Jun! Come on, hurry! Let's go!"

The young lady just watched in shock as Zero's bulky muscles started to cringe, almost giving way to the heavy rocks on his back. She then caught her breath, sighed deeply, and ran for it as fast as she could. Together, she and Penguinmon jumped out of harm's way.

Once outside, Penguinmon quickly digivolved to his Champion form, Saberdramon. The great black bird hollered to his team, "Hurry, get on my back! I can fly us out of here!" Jun went first, followed by Davis who still had DemiVeemon clutched around his arm. Once they were mounted, the four of them turned back to the crumbling castle, where they could just barely see their friend Zero. He was still holding onto the doorway.

"Zero!!" hollered a fearful Davis; "Hurry, get out of there!!" They could see their friend holding onto that broken doorway as if his life depended on it. They could see the tiredness in his eyes; he was using up the very last of his strength, and it showed.

In the next moment, all they could see were the last of the castle's rock formations crumbling down to the ground, making the old Veedramon disappear out of sight for good.

"ZERO!!" cried Davis, Jun and Saberdramon. Their cry would go unanswered.

The remaining team of heroes watched, as Saberdramon carried them high into the air, the ocean wall that Oceanamon had provided for them began to close up. Just as Greedmon's castle caved in all around them, now the ocean was caving in on it, until it was all washed away in a blaze of tidal waves. They had made it into the air just in time before the last of these waves came tumbling down.

They had finally achieved what they'd sent out to do; Jun's Crest of Humility was in the hands of its rightful owner at long last… But there was no celebrating for this victory. While Davis quietly cradled his weakened digimon partner in his arms, he looked ahead to his sister, who was already showing tears in her eyes.

"…Jun?" Davis muttered worriedly; she could only sniffle in reply, so then Davis continued, "You did the right thing, sis; you went for the crest and you got it. We're gonna need you and Penguinmon to finish what we started." "…I know," she gulped, "…but for a minute there, I really wanted to believe it was all over… 'Cause, at least… At least we wouldn't have to lose anybody…"

He understood her despair all too well, for deep down his own heart was breaking over the loss of Veedramon Zero.

But Davis also knew that he had to keep his spirits up; he was going to need them for the battles that were to come. He then said to Jun in a somber tone, "It's okay to be upset, Jun; trust me, I know how you feel…" He would have said more, but he saw that she was too busy wiping her tears with her arm.

Davis then swallowed his pride and sighed, "…Let's just get back to the forest. We'll have some time to grieve, okay?" Jun sniffed, "…No, Davis, you're right. We have to keep going… It's our duty to this place to keep going." Davis then bit his lip, feeling sorry for ever trying to give his sister the strength to pause from mourning.

Then Saberdramon spoke, "We could all use a good rest once we get back to the forest region… Let's hit it then." The great black bird picked up his pace and soared all too quickly away from their last battleground.

If only he stayed in the air for just one moment more; maybe then, they would have seen the body of a Veedramon emerge from the depths of the sea. He was unconscious and staying afloat thanks to a wooden plank that must have come from inside Greedmon's once glorious castle.

A tide came in, gently carrying the passed out Veedramon on its current, into the opposite direction in which the Digi-Destined had flown off to. It would take this Veedramon the rest of the day to finally reach dry land…

The beaches of File Island were calm that evening. The air was warm and flooded with the scent of salt; one would never know that it was just a few hundred miles South of Greedmon's lair.

It seemed like a perfect hour for someone like Leomon, guardian of the island, to go someplace where he could kick his feet up and relax for a while.

But it was there, on one particular beach where the sun was halfway sunk into the horizon of the sea, where Leomon had discovered something quite unusual.

It was a battered old Veedramon, out cold and half drowned, lying helplessly on his tummy, which was covering up most of what looked to be a shredded raft. The humanoid lion twitched his long ears; it had been ages since any stranger to the island had come to its shores, let alone be washed up on them. _"Who," _he wondered, _"could this be?" _

Not one to show cruelty, not even to strange digimon, the wise old lion didn't dispose of the Veedramon, but instead waited for him to wake up and be welcomed to his new home.

TO BE CONTINUED


	23. Know Thyself

(Author's Note: Some material in this chapter is based on a plot of the original series and may inadvertently contradict some elements to it, so my apologies to the creators of Digimon. Also, due to intensified violence, graphic song lyrics and dark themes, this story is now rated PG-13, and is no longer appropriate for children under 13.)

"Penguinmon and I had been waiting for this day to come- now, with the help of Davis and Veemon, as well as a new friend named Veedramon Zero, we were all set to take down Greedmon's Power Spine and win back my Crest of Humility. I gotta tell ya, it was even harder than I imagined, 'cause not only did we have to fight the Sin, but we also had to break through his dark influence. We were made to believe that we were back home, and that we should stay in our world for good. If it weren't for my friends, I would have fallen for that cheap trick, but I broke free and now I'm officially part of the group! But wait… whatever happened to Zero? Is he gone forever?"

-Jun

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-Three: "Know Thyself"**

It was nearing sundown as Davis, ExVeemon, Jun, and Saberdramon were flying high in the sky back to the Great Gardens. They had also completed their latest mission, and it showed as Jun's purple crest glittered proudly on a golden bracelet around her left wrist.

But this wasn't a complete victory; despite their excitement over defeating Greedmon's power, they were without their newest friend, Veedramon Zero. The last they saw of him was falling to certain doom in Greedmon's underwater lair; even though he showed great strength, he was still just a Champion, and one that needed to breathe air.

So while Davis, Jun and their partners felt that they had to celebrate this victory, they were troubled at the same time, believing that their new ally had made his last stand. That's why, during their aviated trip into Gaiamon's realm, they showed signs of neither joy, nor sorrow.

It would be mid-sundown before the team would show up at the foot of Gaiamon herself; still in her willow tree form, she rested comfortably as a cool, gentle breeze brushed her hair of leaves.

That same breeze plucked off a leaf or two, causing them to trickle down toward the earth. There, they would meet Ken, the Digi-Destined of Kindness, who was still overcome by a coma due to his last battle, which was now just a few days earlier.

Right next to him, appearing to be asleep, was his partner Wormmon. He laid there, curled up in a ball as peaceful as he could be, until his antennae wiggled in reaction to the falling leaves. Then he opened an eye to see for himself that a leaf was making its way from Gaiamon's branches to Ken's face. Not one to let ANYTHING touch his partner as he slept, Wormmon advanced the falling leaf with a small spit of webbing.

Naturally, the leaf was thrown back, glued onto a nearby tree bark, and there it would sit in a web, along with many, many other web-spat leaves. As for Wormmon, he took pride in knowing he was doing his job as a guardian, and tucked himself back in to rest again.

The little green caterpillar sighed in his sleep, but it was a sleep that would be cut drastically short by a sudden gust of wind. The wind carried with it a few tree leaves, some of which threatened to scrape Ken's face, so Wormmon quickly took action by jumping in front of his sleeping partner in order to shield him.

Then the little caterpillar realized what was causing this gust; it came from the flapping of Saberdramon's and ExVeemon's wings, as they made a landing near Gaiamon herself. Though his peace was utterly disturbed, Wormmon smiled (if you could call it a smile; that vertical-jawed mouth of his had no lips) with delight in seeing his friends arrive. "Davis! Jun! You made it," he cheered, as he crawled as fast as he could to the humans who were dismounting the Champion digimon.

Davis was the first to bend a knee and greet the little caterpillar; "Hey, Wormmon! How're things on the home front?" "Well…" started Wormmon, but then he was at a loss for words as he looked back at Ken, whose head was resting atop a pile of leaves for a pillow under Gaiamon's shadow.

Davis and Jun both gasped in despair to see this; "Aww," Davis sighed, "he's still out cold…" "It's been almost three days," frowned his sister, as he and her brother approached Gaiamon and her comatose chosen one.

They leaned in to get a better look at their friend; there wasn't much to see, because nothing about him had changed since they left him and Wormmon alone with the Keeper of the Land. Speaking of the Keeper, she leaned her human-shaped body in to join in the huddle that was staring at Ken; she took the humans by surprise by muttering, "He looks peaceful, doesn't he?" Davis and Jun jumped back, and then Jun sighed, "Uh, yeah… But we were kinda hoping he'd be awake by now."

Davis then held out his sister's left arm and smiled in victory, "Wait'll he sees this; Jun's got her crest now!" Gaiamon moved her green-shaded human form closer to the said crest and smiled with joy, "Oh… Indeed, you've gotten it back from Greedmon. I'm so happy for you, Jun, and I'm sure my sister Oceanamon is even happier."

Davis then slapped his face and grinned, "Oh! Where are my manners?" He then moved to his sister's side and formally introduced her, "Gaiamon, I don't believe you've met my sister, Jun." Gaiamon made a giggle, "Thank you, Davis, for that charming gesture. It is nice to meet you at last, Jun." Jun gave her a soft smile and a blush, "Pleasure's all mine…"

But soon she glanced at the earth for a moment when her smile started to drop.

As Jun took a seat, just inches away from Ken, Gaiamon frowned, "What's wrong, Jun?" The young lady looked back up at her and replied, "I'm just thinking about everything we've gone through so far. First, I get thrown into this world out of the clear blue, next I meet Penguinmon, but for a while we're all alone. And now all of a sudden, I get the one item I needed all along, and I owe it to a digimon whose…" "Died?" concluded an approaching Veemon with Penguinmon by his side; the two of them looked as depressed as she was.

Davis then sighed to Gaiamon, "Yeah… We met this nice ol' digimon named Zero, and he helped us escape Greedmon's lair. But we didn't see him make it out with us." "I see," frowned the Digi-Keeper; then she looked back to Jun and said, "Don't worry; Zero's sacrifice doesn't mean the end of him. Digimon are immortal, in a way; when they die, their data gets reconfigured and they'll eventually be reborn."

"Yeah, I heard of that," nodded Jun, "but I still feel upset about it. I mean, that's just how I am…" Gaiamon smiled to her, "Jun, your concern for others is one of the main reasons why we have chosen you as a Digi-Destined…" she would continue her speech, but instead of just addressing Jun, she made sure that everyone around her gathered to listen:

"In the beginning, it was easy to select the first team of children, because they were the first to see real-life digimon. Then, as the years went by, more and more children saw them through the Internet. These days, it no longer matters who sees them and who doesn't, because a digimon's heart and spirit is no longer bound to that of a human child. As you humans have matured over time, so have they.

"That's why even now, as you children are starting to become adults, you still have the power to help your partners fight evil. It's not a question of destiny per say; it's more open than that. You thirteen are the prime examples of everything about humanity that is good and worth protecting, because it is your desire to do the right thing, to fight for good, that makes you who you are."

Jun blinked, "Is that why it took me so long to become a Digi-Destined? Am I just a late bloomer?" The lady in the tree smiled, "Well, Jun, in your case it may seem that way. In truth, it's never too late for anyone to obtain a fighting spirit, but with you it was more a matter of believing in yourself.

"You see, children (and she also addressed the digimon here), anyone could be a Digi-Destined, but it takes courage and faith in oneself to really earn the title. That is why it took years for Davis, Yolei and Cody to join in the ranks."

Davis guessed, "So, it really wasn't that we were chosen, just that we were that willing to fight alongside Tai and the gang?" Jun then asked, "Then why are we called the Chosen ones?"

Gaiamon smiled, "It is not I nor my sisters that have chosen you, children; it is you who have chosen yourselves." Jun now breathed a sigh of calmness, "…I think I understand now." There was a pause, but then Davis, in his usual airhead thinking, said, "I don't."

Jun then looked over to the sleeping young man beside her and wondered, "I guess Ken's still a Chosen one, even after his incident as the Digimon Kaiser, 'cause deep down he's always been a nice guy. Right?" Gaiamon looked at him as well and replied, "Yes, that is correct, Jun. No matter how hard Myotismon tried, he could not completely take over Ken, because the human mind and spirit is far more complex than a mere computer program.

"However, Ken's situation is a complicated one; it was never my intention, but it seems now that my Kind One is a poster child for both the light and dark side of the human heart. For now, as long as he has that dark spore inside, the evil ones will never stop trying to use him for their purposes."

"That sucks," Davis softly remarked; "I wish we could help him." "Unfortunately," Gaiamon replied solemnly, "the only one who can help Ken at this point is himself. Something tells me that even now, while he's sleeping, there's a struggle going on in his mind. Only when he has finally conquered his inner demons will he be able to wake up, and there's just no telling when that will happen."

(Begin "1stp klosr," from "Reanimation," by Linking Park featuring The Humble Brothers and Korn's Jonathan Davis)

It may have seemed that Ken was right there, by their sides, but in truth he was far, far away. If one were to just look close enough, they could see that his eyes had stopped rolling behind his eyelids, that his heart rate slowed, and that his breath began to still.

Something inside him was dying… or, about to be reborn.

------------ Vision: Ken's Dream World, Part I ------------

(Song continues; faded song lyrics as part of the intro can be heard, but aren't documented)

Those moments of Ken's past that have been spared by the effects of the dark spore began to slowly return to him, deep within his subconscious. It was as if he were watching an old, poorly edited movie, with hardly any color showing and one memory harshly jumping to another.

This was how he could remember his life as a child, in this cut-and-paste motion, because ever since he was eight, the dark spore had devoured almost everything he held dear to him. All but the memories of his brother, Sam.

He could see himself as an eight year old again, playing with his brother with games like tag and learning how to blow bubbles for the first time out on their balcony.

But then, the happy images soon turn to tragic ones; Ken was forced to recall the time when he became to grow jealous of Sam, because he was a child prodigy in his parent's eyes while he sunk into the background like a shadow. It seemed to Ken that everybody admired Sam for being such a genius, that little Ken heard himself say, "Sometimes… I just wish Sam would just disappear!"

And then, as if a genie had sprung up behind him to grant his wish, the moment of Sam's death appeared. The poor boy was struck by a car in a busy street; the reason as to why he was in that street in the first place would forever remain a mystery to Ken. All he knew for certain was that this was the moment he fell from grace.

The next thing Ken saw was himself at Sam's funeral; it was raining that day- how appropriate, as Ken's eyes started to rain themselves. "…It's all my fault," he muttered softly.

That guilt would soon lead him back to his bedroom, and onto the computer, where he had received a very eerie email regarding the loss of Sam. It mentioned there being another world, a digital world, where he could escape the pain that plagued him. How could the child resist?

After quickly reclaiming the digivice that was once taken away from him, Ken now saw himself back in the digital world- but this was not the paradise he once protected. Rather, it was the Dark Ocean network, an alternate world covered in gloom and despair.

On the beach, he knelt down to the water, dipped his hand and digivice into a dark puddle, and when he pulled them out, he was holding a black D-3. At that moment, he was no longer Ken; he was something else altogether, and the real Ken could see it for himself. He was also being haunted by a familiar voice; the voice of Lustmon, purring, "Evil never really dies…"

What all of this meant, he was about to find out.

_I cannot take this anymore_

_Saying everything I've said before_

_All these words, they make no sense_

_I found this an ignorance_

_Less I hear the less you say_

_You'll find that out anyway…_

The next thing he knew, Ken seemed to have woken up. But in truth, he was still sleeping; here, he was wandering around aimlessly in his dream world, and it appeared to be a barren desert or wasteland. He glanced left and right, hoping to see if there were any other signs of life.

There was, but it wasn't what he would expect; it was the shadow of the Digimon Kaiser, floating around in a cloudy sky and fading in and out like television static.

Soon the gloomy clouds would find themselves over Ken, painting the scene gray. And then, a giant dinosaur foot stomped on the ground by him…

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I can find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts, they make no sense_

_I found this an ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

Ken looked up in the foot's direction, and found it to be that of Metal Greymon's. Oh yes, this was the same Metal Greymon that belonged to Tai, but as Ken could see, he was not himself. He saw that he had red-glowing eyes, bluish-purple scales, and had wrapped around his right arm a device called a control spiral, given to him by the Kaiser. Yes, this was another image of Ken's dark past; the time when he captured Tai's Agumon and turned him against his friends.

He watched helplessly as the Kaiser took a whip to Metal Greymon, letting him loose on those Digi-Destined that came to save him. The group of them jumped around to dodge every one of Metal Greymon's swipes at them, but how long they could keep it up seemed a mystery.

_Over and over again_

_Over and over again_

_Over and over again_

_Over and over again…_

The vision of Metal Greymon then faded out, and as it did it was replaced by a Kaiser-Owned Andromon going after Kari and her then armor digimon partner Nefertimon. After them, it was a Kaiser-owned Red Veggiemon going after more Digi-Destined, and after that, a Kaiser-owned Digitammamon going after more armor digimon… It was as if these images of the Kaiser's actions were being played like a broken record, and the real Ken (as it were) was there to see it all.

One thing that these visions all had in common was that they seemed to be those of the digimon that he took control that were originally allies to the Digi-Destined. While getting these glimpses of the past, Ken was beginning to wonder if this was a sign of repressed guilt, or simply his mind trying to recollect its memories.

Just like before 

And then, he turned around and saw another image he hoped he wouldn't; it was the Kaiser's old base- a giant floating fortress, hovering slowly across the barren desert.

On top of it stood the Ultimate (literally) instrument of the Kaiser's tyranny, the jigsaw puzzle of a monster known as Chimeramon. Ken would remember this beast to be his own creation, a monster built for one purpose, and that was to obey the Kaiser, and normally he only went by one command: Destroy.

He unfolded his two sets of wings, one belonging to Airdramon and the other belonging to Angemon, and set off to deal with the latest member of the Digi-Destined that was sent to put a stop to his reign of terror: Magnamon. The great beast took a leap off of the Kaiser's base, and launched himself at the golden-armored digimon.

_Everything you say to me…_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe…_

_I'm about to break_

_Everything you say to me…_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe…_

_And I'm about to…_

_(Break)_

It wasn't quite the same fight as the one in the past, but this was after all a dream sequence. And it was enough to get Ken's attention, who saw the whole point of it. He watched closely- perhaps too closely- as Chimeramon launched one attack after another on Magnamon.

Like the other visions Ken has seen up until now, these two were almost completely dulled in black and white, so Magnamon's once glorious armor was not justified here. Even so, as the two enemies dashed through the air like dragonflies, both were at the top of their game.

They seemed to have gotten carried away, because they would soon zoom down near the ground level, where Ken was watching. He ducked just in time before Chimeramon and Magnamon barreled themselves right through him. He threw himself into sand, which as expected nearly blinded him on impact, but it didn't matter because he still felt no physical sensations.

But his mental stability would soon be questioned, as he lifted his head upward, only to find the very Kaiser himself looking down on him…

_These are the places where I can feel_

_Torn from my body, my flesh it peels_

_During this night, we can cut off_

_What we like_

_Waiting alone I cannot resist_

_Feeling this hate I am never missed_

_Please, someone, give me a reason_

_To rip off my face_

The Kaiser was the darkest and most unreal of them all; he even fizzed in and out like television static for a moment. But he stood there over his true self, smiling down on him as if he were one of his unfortunate minions that would be begging for mercy.

And then he lifted the glasses off his face, revealing his blue eyes- gorgeous as they were, they were also beaming with evil. As this happened, the Kaiser's coloring came to him at last; now he seemed to be just as real as Ken did.

Ken, meanwhile, got to his feet and stared intently at his former self. The two of them seemed as though they didn't know just what to do next; seeing each other in the same place at the same time was mind-boggling. Even if this were a dream, it felt scary.

…But it was about to get worse.

The Kaiser suddenly doubled over, holding his face in pain. He twitched, as a small split in his skin started to rake across his face- it was as if he were made of glass, and somebody just broke him. Ken made a gasp in fear and wonder, as the Kaiser suddenly started to liquidate…

_Blood is a-pouring,_

_And pouring and pouring_

_And pouring, and pouring_

_And pouring, and pouring_

_And pouring, and pouring…_

_Shut up when I'm talking to you!_

Ken kept trying to assure himself that this was all just a dream, just a dream… but seeing his other self grow in size while his body seemed to inflate like a balloon was beginning to freak him out. The Kaiser himself seemed pained by this, as his body started to take on a strange shape, like there was something inside of him trying to pop out.

But it soon became clear to Ken that this was all part of something bigger than the Kaiser. He was about to meet the monster that turned him into a monster.

_Shut up! (Blood is pouring)_

_Shut up! (Blood is pouring)_

_Shut up! (Blood is pouring)_

_Shut up when I'm talking to you!_

_Shut up! (Blood is pouring)_

_Shut up! (Blood is pouring)_

_Shut up! (Blood is pouring)_

_Shut up!_

_I'm about to break_

Before Ken's horrified eyes, the Digimon Kaiser turned out to be nothing more than a shell, which started to hatch- truly tore itself apart, like an egg sac or a paper sheet, starting with the Kaiser's face. It split clean off from the sides like a can of sardines, spilling a little blood in the process, and out from underneath came the dark blue face of a digimon.

It wasn't just any digimon; this one had a pair of big, fierce eyes, with red corneas and yellow irises. His head was insect-like, with a face like Kabuterrimon's, only twice as big.

Then the Kaiser's back ripped open, revealing the digimon's many arms and giant spikes that ran down its own back. One of the creature's extra long arms threw itself to the ground, causing a brief but effective earthquake.

Ken couldn't watch anymore; he turned tail and ran just as the giant digimon shook off the rest of his Kaiser shell…

_Everything you say to me…_

_I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe…_

_I'm about to break_

_Everything you say to me…_

_I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe…_

_And I'm about to-_

_Everything you say to me takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe, 'cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_I'm about to break_

_Everything you say to me takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe, 'cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to-_

It had to have been a Mega digimon; nothing that big could ever be otherwise.

But there was something eerie about this digimon; its likeness almost completely copied that of Chimeramon, the digimon that Ken believed to be his own creation. The difference between Chimeramon and the one that just hatched itself from the Kaiser was that this creature's body parts were all colored in dark blue. It was as if this monster was not a mismatched copy of Champions, but that its bony, multiple limbs and other body parts actually fit together.

It let out a roar, probably to unleash his fury that was built up from within, and then it realized that its host had run off, so it took off after him.

Ken didn't get far; he was a mere human, and a young one at that, while the Mega digimon was more than ten times his size.

Once the beast did catch up with the small human, it unfolded one of its crimson-nailed claws and swiped him in the back. Ken took a wild tumble from this, but survived. The swipe, however, did cause him to slow down so that the other claws of the beast could have their shot at him.

Ken drove himself as far away from them as he could, but he did so while lying on his wounded back, like a reversed crawl. It only got worse when the ground in front of him had suddenly split open, turning the sandy plain into a cliff.

By the time Ken realized this, it was too late; he was trapped between a raging dark monster and what seemed to be a bottomless pit. The poor young man knew that he couldn't stand a chance, even though he wanted to make a move. But just as he tried desperately to come up with a way out, the monster's insect-like head was right on top of him.

With green drool, it opened its massive jaws, and lunged them at him. The last moment of that vision ended with Ken seeing the interior of the beast's seemingly endless throat. He knew for sure that the light at the end of this tunnel would certify his death.

(Song ends)

But Ken didn't die; the next thing he knew, he was lying face down in desert sand once again. Startled by this, he quickly collected himself, and rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn't dreaming anymore… But he was. He could tell, because he couldn't feel a thing, even though sand was flying everywhere, even in his face.

It seemed that the monster he saw was not truly an enemy, but rather a stepping stone for the next level of his dream world. For a moment, he was just happy to know that he was still alive, but then he had to question himself, as he was trapped yet again in a barren wasteland.

There just had to be a reason why he kept seeing himself in a desert; there had to have been some significance, because everything else he had seen at this point were all connected to his past, whether it was forgotten or not. As Ken contemplated this, he didn't realize that he was about to get his answer in the form of an old friend.

But first, he was welcomed by the sounds of distant gun blasting, beastly roaring, and screaming from about a mile away. He couldn't see where the sounds were coming from, because a tall dune was blocking his way. But then, just as the young man began to crawl his way to the top of the dune, he heard a huge wallop, followed by a body flying through the air, over his head, and like a tossed pebble on a lake it skipped across the sandy plain.

When it came to a crashing stop, Ken could see who it was: "…Paildramon!"

It was indeed the fused version of ExVeemon and Stingmon; he had been knocked across the desert by something that had to be bigger and stronger than him. Still he watched as the Ultimate mutant forced himself back on his feet slowly, shaking the sand off of his face and shoulders.

With a look of pure frustration in his battered face, Paildramon glanced back in the direction from which he was thrown, and then he took a running start and flew back in that direction, over Ken's head and the dune again.

Ken followed him, quickly struggling to get over the dune, and when he did he could finally see the battlefield as it was. Paildramon was in the middle of a battle alright… but to Ken's shock, it was against the same dark beast that he had seen just a minute ago. The one that looked like the granddaddy of Chimeramon.

For a second, Ken wondered if this was just a pure dream or a lost memory, but then as he skidded down the sandy hill, he was beginning to realize that it was, indeed the latter. For standing just several feet away from the battle itself, waiting to see the outcome of it, were two young boys- one of them was a small, black-haired and blue-eyed child that looked exactly as Ken did eight years in the past.

The four-winged Ultimate brushed himself across the field by the Mega monster's side, while at the same time unleashing a barrage of bullets with his "Desperado Blasters" move. The Mega monster seemed riddled by the bullets, but his body proved to be rock-hard, or perhaps even harder, as he seemed to take the attack with barely a flinch.

Paildramon paused to launch another attack, when suddenly one of the boys nearby shouted, "Paildramon! Try to hit him underneath; he's got to have a weakness down there!" The boy that said this was much taller than the eight-year-old; he had spiky reddish-brown hair, dark eyes, and an autumn-themed outfit complete with a sweater and pants. The sharp look in his eyes must have been an indication that he was in charge; he certainly sounded like it, with the way he commanded Paildramon.

The Ultimate obeyed the command, and took a running start before he leaned back and skidded toward the Mega monster's underbelly. The Mega digimon tried to move away, but as soon as Paildramon skidded his way, he proved to be too fast for the behemoth. "DESPERADO BLASTERS!" summoned the Ultimate, and released his attack on the giant creature's stomach.

The creature bellowed in pain, but was still able to counter-attack with the stomping and pounding of his multiple limbs, in an attempt to squish his enemy. Paildramon rolled out of there just before one of the creature's fists came down on him. Now he was right by the left side of the Mega digimon, who whipped his gruesome head around and launched a bazooka-like breath of dark energy on Paildramon.

Paildramon was hit in the back, and when his face met with the sand, he was officially weakened into de-digivolving. When he did, he became not one Rookie, but two: a small blue dragon, and a small green caterpillar. The two of them were out cold as an effect by the dark fiery blast.

"Wormmon!" shouted the horrified eight-year-old, and ran across the plain to check on his digimon partner; as he did, what was apparently his present-day self watched from behind. Ken's eyes blinked, "…Worm-mon?" He looked on to see the young child running toward who was, in fact, Wormmon.

He muttered to himself, "I get it now… This isn't just a dream, it's a memory. And that little kid… That's me!"

He was right, and as the young boy picked up the weakened Wormmon in his tiny arms, the little Rookie confirmed it by prying his eyes open and muttering to his small friend, "Ken-chan…" Then he winced in pain.

The other young boy, the taller and obviously older one, ran to the scene as well, and like Ken he tended to the other digimon, who turned out to be Veemon. The present-day Ken, who seemed to be like a ghost to these characters of the past, glanced at the young boy looking over Veemon and dropped his jaw; "…Wait. This can't be right… That can't be the same Veemon! …Can it?" His question would go unanswered.

Little Ken looked to his human friend and began to panic, "Ryo… We can't do this! Lookit our digimon; they're not strong enough to fight anymore." The other boy responded with a look of concern, "It's okay, Kenny! We gotta stay strong; if we don't finish him off now, he'll only get worse and destroy all of us!"

As they were speaking with each other, the dark blue Mega digimon was turning himself around to face them head on. He stared directly at the children and seemed amused by their plight; he showed it by cracking an eerie smile. Little Ken saw it, and was instantly terrified by it; he trembled, "Uhhh… We- we should get outta here!"

But the slightly older boy picked himself up, turned to face the Mega beast, and glared back into its eyes with his own; he said, "I'm not giving up… You hear that, Millenniumon?? I'm NOT gonna let you destroy this world!!"

Again, the Mega beast was amused, and let out a purr (which sounded a little like a tiger's snarl) as he smiled on.

Ryo, as he was called, turned back to his little partner who was just coming out of his state of shell shock and commanded, "Come on, Veemon! We can still win this; you just gotta have faith in yourself!" The little blue dragon slowly pushed himself upward, and almost lost his footing when he finally got to his feet.

Though he was obviously battered by the fight, the little Rookie showed an equal amount of determination in his red eyes as Ryo showed in his brown; he smiled, "You're right, Ryo! We can do anything if we just work together!"

At that moment, Millenniumon, as _he_ was called, dropped his smile. He knew they meant business, and was not about to let them get the upper hand. So he bared his massive fangs, unleashing green drool from his jaw, and roared, "DIMENSION DESTROYER!"

Little Ken's eyes widened to their limits as he gasped, "…RUN!" He knew what was coming, and so did his friends. Ryo quickly scooped up Veemon in his arms, while Wormmon was still in the arms of little Ken, and the two of them headed for the hills, literally, as quickly as they could. As they did so, Millenniumon raised his arms in the air, all of them, and magically a huge black orb of pure darkness appeared over them. He then launched this orb at his enemies like the world's largest dodge ball.

Just as Millenniumon's attack came right at them, the two boys tucked and rolled away just in time. But they wouldn't be completely safe; the attack met with the sandy earth, causing a massive tidal wave of desert sand on the land. By the time the boys stopped moving, they were buried in the dirt.

But just when Millenniumon started to laugh maniacally in victory, Ryo popped out his head from underneath the sand and hollered, "HA! You call that an attack? That tickled!" The great Mega beast was now furious, and snarled at the boy.

Nearby, a present-day Ken chuckled in amusement. _"That Ryo kid has spunk,"_ he thought to himself.

Soon enough Ryo's friends crawled out of the sand, but they could clearly see that the effect of Millennium's attack was not over yet, for a sandstorm was forming all around them. The young ones shielded their faces with their arms as the sandy wind blasted through them, as Millenniumon started to howl in frustration.

"This is it, Kenny," said Ryo to his small human friend; "We've got just one more shot at him, and it's over! He can't counter our attack if he's not concentrating." Little Ken looked to his tall friend and frowned, "I… I don't think I can do it, Ryo… Wormmon's hurt bad; I'm afraid of what can happen to him if he Jogresses with Veemon again. Besides, you've got the Crest of Power; if you're up to it, then you should go for it."

The tall one seemed surprised by this comment; he reached into his left pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a dark red crest. It was symbolized by a set of triangles, one big one centered around three little ones, as if they really were two big triangles overlapping each other. This was the Crest of Power, one of many forgotten items lost in the past, it would seem.

Ryo turned back to his friend and remarked, "Are you sure? Our digimon are probably stronger when they work together. That's how they Jogress digivolved in the first place." Little Ken gave him a nod, "I know… but I believe you guys can do it…"

He then reached into his own pant pocket and pulled out yet another crest; this one was magenta, and had what appeared to be a rosebud for a symbol on it. He smiled to Ryo, "I've got my Crest of Kindness; with it, I can fight with you in spirit."

Ryo then understood what his little friend was trying to say; the child seemed to know that winning a battle meant more than brute strength, and that he didn't need his friend's partner in order for his own digimon to reach his highest level.

Ryo then took little Ken's advice, and gripped harder onto his own crest; likewise, little Ken clutched onto his own, and as they both did this, their crests started to glow in different shades of red. Normally, this would have powered up both Veemon and Wormmon, but on this particular day, during this battle, it only powered up Veemon. The little blue dragon was clothed in a red halo of light, and started to briefly levitate. Wormmon watched in awe; so did Millenniumon, but his attitude was negative toward it. He knew what was coming…

"VEEMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO…………………. IMPERIAL DRAMON!"

"Hmmm?" hummed the deep voice of Millenniumon, as he witnessed a digital field appearing out of nowhere around Veemon. The field was summoned by the aligned powers of Kindness and pure Power itself, it seemed, and when the fog lifted, there appeared before them a dragon as big as Millenniumon. It was light blue-scaled, red-winged, and armed to the teeth. Topping off his armor was a giga-cannon on his back.

Without thinking twice, the huge dragon jumped into the sky, far above the sandy winds created by his enemy, and with a voice far more human than Millenniumon's, he roared, "POSITRON LASER!" His enemy was about to counter-attack with an equally powerful "Dimension Destroyer," which was that giant black orb of pure energy summoned from his claws. However, this attack summoning came too late, as Imperial Dramon's giga-cannon unleashed a furious white light.

It was strong enough to push back Millenniumon's energy orb, and as a result, the wretched beast took in both his own and Imperial Dramon's attacks. As he screamed in horror, the dark blue monster felt the full force of both light and darkness, and before long, he was knocked to the ground, causing another great earthquake.

For a few moments, the atmosphere was covered in sand and fog, but when it was cleared, it seemed that very few parts remained of Millenniumon. Most of his body had been severed and digitized; the rest of it was laid out on the ground, lifeless.

The young ones seemed to have waited a long time for this moment, but when it finally came, they couldn't believe their eyes. There was a moment of silence as the thought of seeing their archenemy dead sank in, and then Wormmon broke the silence with, "We did it!"

"…We…won!" muttered a stunned Ryo, and then he shook off his shock by turning to his little human friend and smiled, "We won!" "Yeah!" little Ken replied, followed by a laugh of jubilation. Wormmon then laughed along with his partner, and the three of them started to rejoice out loud.

Ryo was then met with his own partner, who floated from the sky and into his arms in the form of a blue, bubble-shaped baby named Chibimon. Their celebration probably would have gone on for a little longer… but someone had other plans.

Ryo cradled Chibimon in his arms as he turned to little Ken and said, "Let's go home now." His small human friend nodded in reply, and the two of them, along with their digimon, turned away from the corpse of their fallen enemy.

But then, without warning, little Ken's ears picked up the sound of a breath being taken by the fallen Mega digimon. He whipped his head around just in time to see the beast, who was desperately hanging onto his last breath, opening his mouth one last time. The creature made a sudden cough, and out from his jaws shot what looked like a small black bullet.

Little Ken gasped in horror, seeing the bullet flying straight for his friend Ryo. "Lookout!" he shouted; Ryo turned around in response, but he wasn't moving fast enough to dodge the oncoming bullet. Though he was half the size of Ryo, little Ken was fast enough to push him down, thus saving his life, it would seem.

Unfortunately for him, he had inadvertently put himself in the line of fire, and became the receiver of Millenniumon's bullet.

But it wasn't a bullet at all, as it turned out; it was a spore. A small black spore, which entered the back of his neck as if it were transparent like a ghost. Just as little Ken received this spore, a shock went through his body like electricity; at the same time, as if by instinct, a nearby present-day Ken, still unseen by these characters of the past, felt the same shocking pain, and like his younger self he clutched onto the back of his neck in reaction.

He knew all too well what this meant; that was the moment he received the dark spore; the same instrument that turned him into the Digimon Kaiser, and the same instrument Daemon craved in the present.

Elsewhere, a satisfied Millenniumon let out a soft sigh, and laid his head to rest. His revenge, it seemed, was exacted.

"Ken-chan!" gasped Wormmon, as he noticed a sudden change in his partner. The small child doubled over in extreme pain, howling in agony. Ryo and Chibimon, as well as the little green caterpillar, dropped their jaws in horror.

They had no idea as to what just happened; only Ken did. But that didn't stop them from moving over to the child's side in an attempt to comfort him and help him to his feet. Little Ken, all the while, remained silent; his teeth gritted in pain.

"It's okay, Kenny," said Ryo, "we'll get you home, okay? Just try to stay calm; we'll get you home…" That was the last moment Ken would witness regarding his past self and his former friends. For as the wind picked up, it caused a wall of flying sand that soon took away the images of young Ken and Ryo, along with their digimon.

Once the wind died down, only the corpse of Millenniumon remained. As it laid there, lifeless, the present-day Ken stared at it in awe and curiosity. He never thought he'd get such a good look at this monster after all these years, yet there it was right before his eyes.

He decided to approach it, and see what would become of it next. He walked all the way to the left side of the great beast's face; its head alone was tall enough to measure up to an average high school. How Paildramon ever stood up against it was an incredible mystery.

"So…" Ken muttered as he stared directly into the closed eyelid of his archenemy, "Millenniumon, is it? I guess I should be happy that my memories are finally coming back… but then, losing them in the first place was your fault. …It was all your fault! When I went home, and my brother died, that spore of yours turned me into a monster, just like you. I guess that was your intention after all…"

The more he stared at that closed eye, the more he hated the sight of it; Ken's eyes narrowed as he went on, "I never understood why there are evil digimon. Why were you so bent on destroying us? …Did you honestly wanna rule this world, or were you programmed to think that way? Were you that robotic?? 'Cause if you were, then I almost feel sorry for you. Digimon as I know them are allowed to think for themselves…"

Then his anger calmed down; seeing Millenniumon dead was enough to do that, because he knew in his heart that it was already too late for this monster's soul… if he ever had one. "Well," muttered Ken, "I guess it's too late to go back now…" He wanted to move on, and so the young man turned away from the monster's head to take a step forward.

Suddenly, the great big eye opened- its cornea blood red and cracked, its iris a think orange-yellow, and its pupil as black as night, piercing in the most eerie way imaginable. Glossy, it blinked like a crocodile's as it stared intently at the small human. Then the great dark beast let out a sigh that was as thunderous as a tiger's growl.

Ken stepped back in shock and gasped, "…you're… You're alive?" The great red eye focused on him as the beast's deep voice was heard, slowly and calmly whispering, "…I died a long time ago, kid… But I'll come back. I always come back; that's why they call me Millenniumon."

The young man by the beast's side huffed, "Heh… Sure; all digimon come back." "That's not what I meant," replied the beast's soft, deep voice; "Everyone has a purpose in this world, kid. My purpose is to rule this world, until _somebody_ (his harsh tone was echoed by the sharp glare of his eye, directed at Ken) defeats me. Then, I return a thousand digi-world years later, at the exact same time, in the exact same place."

Ken stood there with a look of distrust and said, "A thousand digi-years, exactly? …How long would that be in human years?" Millenniumon's voice muttered, "I believe it's four years, according to your world."

Ken then paused to think it over, then he argued, "No, that can't be… Four years ago, I was fighting creeps like Arukennimon, and Mymmymon, and MaloMyotismon! I never saw you, and I never even heard of you four years ago."

The dark creature's great eye blinked again, "You did see me; I just had a different look back then." "Whatever," muttered Ken; he was obviously not buying this talk, and started to turn and leave as he added, "I'd like to say it's been nice talking to you, but… Heh."

Just then, the monster stopped him by asking, "Why did you create Chimeramon?"

Ken was stunned by this question, and stopped in his tracks just as Millenniumon wanted him to. He turned back to the nearly-lifeless creature as it purred, "Did you honestly think you made him all by yourself?" Ken gulped as he approached the beast yet again; "…What do you mean by that?"

Millenniumon softly replied, "When you were the Digimon Kaiser, all you wanted was power. So you took all your knowledge of the Champion digimon you fought or controlled, and took the most powerful parts of their bodies to make the ultimate fighting machine. …And he was, indeed, an Ultimate.

"Now I ask you, kid, did you really think that was just coincidence, that I would give you a dark spore, make you an evil Kaiser, and then let you create Chimeramon?"

From where he stood, Ken could now see his reflection in the glossy red eye of the monster; he gasped in horror, starting to realize at last what Millenniumon was trying to say. But then, the beast just came out and said it, "That's right, kid… Chimeramon… is **ME**."

A chill took over the atmosphere- really it was Ken's subconscious reacting to his shock. He knew now that what Millenniumon was saying made sense; it had to be true. The young man then replied, "So… that's why you gave me the dark spore… You used me to recreate you."

Millenniumon replied calmly, "I didn't care who took the spore… Either one of you humans would have sufficed. But yes, that was my ultimate goal, to make one of you bring me back to life, one thousand years later, in the same place at the exact time I died."

Ken then looked around; this desert scene was just a shadowed thought in his mind, but it represented the deathbed of Millenniumon. Then he thought it over, and realized that Chimeramon was also killed in a desert, four years ago. It was all now very clear to him, and it was enough to shake him up a little. The young man grasped onto his arm as goose bumps ran up and down it, and he gazed blankly at the ground- or what seemed like the ground.

Millenniumon went on to say, "Of course, that power was destroyed, once you came to your senses. But then, you wouldn't be hunted by Daemon or other bad guys if it wasn't completely worthless, now would you? Daemon seems to think that dark spores have more than one purpose… though, I don't suppose he wants it for the same reasons I once did."

Ken replied as he stepped away from the monster, "I'm not letting you _or _Daemon make me do evil ever again. If you think I'm stupid enough to bring you back a second time-" "I'm sure you never will, but don't think I'm gone forever, kid," interrupted the soft voice of Millenniumon; "Whether you like it or not, whether it'll be your fault or not, I will come back… I always come back… That's why they call me… Millenniumon."

With that last ounce of strength in his dying voice, the dark creature slowly closed up its devilish eye at last, and then, like a true flesh-and-blood digimon, he disappeared into the atmosphere.

Once again, Ken found himself all alone in this strange dream world. It remained a vast desert, and perhaps it would stay that way for some hours to come. Why, he would have to find out on his own.

------------ End Vision ------------

Somewhere far beyond the Great Gardens, beyond both Sea and Sky City, and even beyond the great unified continent of the digital world, a river of data was flowing in the sky, magnetized by a dark force.

It found its way to a forbidding looking fortress, one taller than any Power Spine, and more menacing and evil in appearance than even Greedmon's underwater lair. This mountainous castle was the home of the Keeper of Darkness himself, who had assumed the form of the demon lord, Daemon.

Deep in the heart of this castle, a group of gathered villains witnessed the arrival of this stream of stolen data, as it trickled down from the outside to the center of a room. There, it was being poured into a pot that was about the size of a baby pool, and when it rested within it, it appeared to be like water.

Present in this room were Daru, Preserver of the dark network, Gluttonymon, Pridemon, various minions of theirs that preferred to keep their identities secret as they hid in the shadows, and the father of them all himself, Daemon. He too sat in the shadows, but he did so atop a noticeable throne. The closest to the gathering data were Daru and the Sins.

Pridemon had her arms crossed, as if she were not amused by what was happening; she raised an eyebrow, "So this is all of the data that was stripped of the digital world's core? It doesn't look like much." Her dark master's voice replied, "It only takes a little bit of data to create a great kingdom, my dear Pridemon, like it takes only a little bit of sand to make a sandcastle."

Then his human associate spoke up, "Will it be enough to weaken the Keepers as we've planned, Lord Daemon?" The Keeper of Darkness replied calmly, "It will take much more than that, but I have faith in my servants. They have succeeded in breaking the spirits of some of those children; that will guarantee our victory in no time… But for now, I must take what data we have collected and use it against those Keepers, before their power grows any stronger."

He then reached out his bony hand and pointed, "Gluttonymon!" The piggish, bloated sin aimed his attention to his master; "Yess?" he said in a startled voice. Daemon commanded him, "You will be the one who will use this data. Absorb it- all of it- and it will give you more strength than you could ever imagine."

He had just made the Sin's day, for Gluttonymon's smile grew its widest; "YES!" he cheered, nearly jumping for joy; "Oh, thank you Master! I won't disappoint you, I promise!" Without even giving it a second thought, the Sin dipped his warthog/hyena-spliced head into the pool of data and started chugging it down as if he were at a frat party.

Pridemon was aware of this plan for a while, but she still appeared to be miffed by it. She then showed her true colors by turning away from Gluttonymon, disgusted by his actions, and then questioned her own master; "Lord Daemon? I don't understand why Gluttonymon should be the one to take this mission. Not that I'm questioning your judgment, but any one of us will do. Is there any particular reason why you chose this… slob?"

She paused right there, because right before she finished her question, Gluttonymon took a brief break from his feeding to let out a rude belch.

Daemon replied to Pridemon, "I cannot guarantee that he will fully succeed in this mission; if he fails, then I will have at least six Sins left to aid me." With a mouth full of drooling data, Gluttonymon slobbered, "Hey! …I'm just as important as the rest of them! What makes you think I'll fail, Master??"

Slightly disgusted himself at Gluttonymon's feeding, the Keeper of Darkness kept his cool as he narrowed his eyes at his servant and replied in a soft, almost secretive voice, "…We shall see…"

One night would pass before Davis, Jun and the others would meet up with any other parties of their friends. It was in the morning, during an hour in which the sun was fully present in the sky, when they would wake up to see some more familiar faces.

Davis had his own run-in with one of them, as he crawled into a tree to fetch himself some fruit. The fruit appeared to be a cross between an apple and a peach; it had tough skin, but was soft and peachy on the inside. It was more than enough to get Davis's hunger going.

In fact, he got a little carried away at one point; with one of these fruits clutched between his teeth, he scrambled to get more when he shook a branch hard enough, and sent a dozen of them tumbling to the ground.

He moaned with disappointment, but when his eyes lit up with surprise when he saw Tai walking over and picking up one of the fallen fruits. His mentor looked up at him with a smile; "They were right; there isn't that much difference between humans and monkeys!"

As soon as Davis opened his mouth to say, "Hey! At least I don't look like a French poodle," he lost the one pure fruit that he kept safely in his mouth.

Tai started to help his younger friend gather more food when the two of them started talking about their adventures; "So, what's been going on while we were gone?" started Tai.

Davis replied as he climbed down the tree, "Well, let's see. Where should I start first? Oh yeah! Ken's in a coma-" "What?" gasped Tai in shock; Davis nodded, "Oh yeah, long story…"

Within minutes, Matt, Gabumon and Agumon made their way to Gaiamon, where they would be reunited with Jun, Veemon and Penguinmon. Tai and Davis walked into the scene just as the others had been clued in on what happened to Ken. Tai approached the comatose when and frowned, "Aww… I guess we should've been there."

"It gets worse," came without warning the voice of Gaiamon. The Keeper made herself visible through the willow tree she seemed to be attached to; she explained, "I've been getting a bad vibe all morning; something about my Great Gardens has been changing, as if something was deleting them."

Davis said to her, "Sound like trouble. Should we head off for it?" The mossy-green woman with her hips connecting to the tree trunk shook her head, "You won't have to; the fight's going to come here. I can feel it…"

She then glanced down at the young man who was resting in her shadow and frowned, "I'm mostly worried about Ken; he can't move while he's in this stare. If you want to take him somewhere, you may… But you'll have to take Wormmon, too." "Sure we will," replied her Brave One.

Then Matt glanced around and asked, "Where is Wormmon, anyway? He's usually Ken's shadow." Again, the Keeper frowned, "He's fighting his own inner demons as we speak…"

Not too far away from this group gathering was the little green caterpillar in question. He had been looking down on a river from a log on the riverbank. Gaiamon was about to tell his story to her company, but it was already being played out in Wormmon's mind, haunting him.

(Gaiamon) _"What I am about to tell you children now, Wormmon already knows. He was shown the truth about his past by the Sin Digimon; they had shown him everything that he was meant to forget… and what he wishes would remain forgotten…"_

------------ Flashback: Wormmon's Past (Narrated by Gaiamon) ------------

(Most of this story is self-explanatory, so details will only come when they seem most necessary)

_"We had just begun the finishing touches of the digital world, when we decided to give it a test drive. We had selected a group of children form our own world to venture into the land we created for them. For a while, life in the digital world was peaceful. _

_"The children loved it; they were happy with the life-like plants, and sunlight, and running rivers. But what they wanted more than anything were pets that they could call their own. And so, we created the first digimon…_

_"Where one once stood, soon became filled with many. Back then there was no need for them to evolve into bigger and stronger creatures, so the biggest of their kind were what we now call Rookies. _

_"My sisters and I couldn't be happier with the results of these tests; soon the entire digital world was ready to be opened to the general public…_

_"But we were wrong. Someone else was taking advantage of our project. Someone else decided to use his own computer technology to echo the world that we created, only his world became dark, threatening, dangerous… His world is what you now know as the Dark Ocean._

_"It was he, the one we call Daemon now, who created all of the Virus-type digimon… and yes, when I say all, I mean all."_

_"Even now, Daemon is convinced that all realities need a balance of good and evil, so as soon as his Dark Ocean world was complete, he began to create a bridge between it and our digital world, so that his evil minions could call the world that was meant only for the innocent their home._

_"And it started with Caterpillmon."_

Caterpillmon was unlike most of the Dark Keeper's minions; the majority of them consisted of demons, ghosts and mutants. But there were a few insect type digimon in this group of rogues, and Caterpillmon was one of them.

But for a digimon that served such a dark and malicious monster, he was actually very cute.

Though, back in this day he had a difference in color; he was orange, not green, and his eyes were yellow, not blue, and his legs and mouth were red, not purple.

On the day his master decided to storm the digital world, he summoned this tiny creature, and blindly the little larva answered. "Caterpillmon," commanded the mysteriously dark Keeper, "our time has come to see just what kind of world my fellow Keepers have created. I need you to be my scout; search the network for as much information as you can. Give me digimon names, stats, and most importantly, the weaknesses of every area you enter."

There was nothing else for the little larva to say except, "Yes, master."

"As his master ordered, Caterpillmon became a scout that would give his friends all the information they needed on the digital world's weaknesses. His task was nearly complete, until one day when his path crossed with one of our children…"

Caterpillmon was doing his job perfectly; he had already sent his master information on the mapping of the digital world's main fields, and he had almost every name of the digimon he saw there. But there was one form of creature he was not expecting to find, and that was the human.

The little orange caterpillar was scoping out the area from a tree, when he was spotted by someone who called out, "Hey there! Whatcha doin' in the tree?"

Startled, the little larve gasped, "Huh?? What?? ...Who said that?" He sweat-dropped, thinking that his enemies had finally caught onto his scheme.

But to his amazement, the voice- that of a little girl- replied, "Are you looking for someone to play with?" "...Play?" blinked the confused Caterpillmon. Then he looked down, and sure enough there was a human girl looking up on him from the ground. She waved to him innocently, "Hi! My name's Kaiya, what's yours?"

Thinking her to be a counter spy at first, the little digimon replied, "Uhhh... I have no name! I'm just one of those default programs, you know? In fact, I think I'm fading out now. Gotta go!"

He then rolled himself up in a ball, trying to make it look like he was being digitized, but instead he lost his footing and rolled all the way down to the base of the tree. Kaiya caught him in her arms with a giggle, "Hahahaha! You're funny..."

The little larva looked insulted and huffed, "Funny? Hmph!" He threw himself out of her arms to face her and said, "I'll have you know, I'm a very powerful and dangerous digimon! One of these days I'm gonna evolve into something even scarier, so you better watch out!"

The little girl didn't seem to pay attention to his warnings; instead, he reached out to his antennae and started twirling one of them with a smile. "You're probably just saying that 'cause you're shy," she guessed.

The little caterpillar looked insulted again and replied harshly, "I'm warning you! One bite, and I could send you to the digi-hospital faster than you can say-" "I like you," she interrupted cheerfully.

Now the little larva was at a loss for words. Well, sort of; he stuttered, "...You l-like me?" "Yeah," nodded Kaiya, "you're cute!" "...Cute?" echoed the confused digimon; "W-what does that mean?" The little girl, who was actually not that little when compared to him, giggled, "You don't know what cute means?" "If it means I have the makings of a ruthless monster," replied Caterpillmon, "then yes. I am cute."

"I'm bored," said the young Kaiya as she scratched her nose; "Wanna play hide and seek?" Caterpillmon blinked, "...What's that?" His new friend explained, "Oh, it's easy! I'll go hide, and then you go and find me." "Oh!" smiled the caterpillar; "You mean 'Seek and Destroy!' I know that game. Okay, you go hide and I'll find you." The little girl laughed, "...Close your eyes and start counting. He did so, and off she went into the woods.

_"From there, an unlikely friendship was born. He didn't know it then, but Caterpillmon was in fact created with the same technology we made to create our own digimon types. Even though he was a Virus, he had all the makings of a loyal pet, and guardian. And thanks to Kaiya, his instincts took a seemingly unexpected toll… He became her new best friend._

_"But all of this peace and serenity came to a crashing halt when Daemon's minions arrived. They grew too tired of waiting for Caterpillmon's return to the Dark Ocean, so as soon as the bridge between their world and ours was complete, in they came._

_"Quickly, we tried to bring the children back to the gate which was opened to them from our real world. Only by going back to their own reality would they be safe from the evil monsters that came after them. But in this chaos, Kaiya and Caterpillmon were lost."_

They were in the middle of one of their innocent games, when Caterpillmon noticed the sky turning black. It never turned black before, especially not in mid-day, so this concerned him greatly.

He moved as quickly as he could with such small legs to an opening in the woods, and to his horror he saw that the sky was being filled with demonic digimon. Of course, he knew where they came from and he knew what they were there to do; he gulped, "Oh no..." There was no time to waste; he had to find Kaiya.

As he raced through the woods, he noticed that one area started to freeze over; it was odd, because it was the middle of summer, and here there was frost on the ground. Caterpillmon took this as a sign, and followed the frost all the way to an area that was completely frozen over.

Soon he knew why: an Ice Devimon, one of the first Champions to ever set foot in the digital world, was loose. And to make the situation even worse, this one had in his grasp Caterpillmon's human friend, Kaiya.

"Let me go!" she screamed, as the icy white devil tried to hold her down with one claw, his other raised in the air. "Hold still," he hissed at her; "This isn't gonna hurt a bit now, okay? ...Actually, I'm not sure if it ever hurts, but I never got a complaint from any of my other ice sculptures! Hmph."

"Help!" she started screaming; "Caterpillmon! Help me!"

Her friend, at this point, was not far away; he paused to observe the situation from underneath a brush. But seeing his dear friend in such peril, about to be turned into an ice statue, made his eyes glimmer in a way they never had before. He was suddenly filled with compassion, and rage.

Without thinking twice, the little caterpillar shouted, "Hang on, Kaiya!" He then made a mad dash into the open, catching the icy devil off guard. Caterpillmon then rolled himself up in a ball and launched himself at the arm which had Kaiya in its grip. Amazingly, this trick worked, and the two young ones made a soft landing in the snow.

Once Kaiya realized what had happened, she turned to her little larva friend and reached out to hold him; "Caterpillmon," she muttered. But the little larva jumped to his feet frantically and said, "Hurry! We gotta get out of here." With that, he led her back into the summery woods.

The Ice Devimon could have easily followed them, but instead he watched them leave and laughed, "You won't get far, you little insects! This entire forest is filled with demons now, and it's all thanks to YOU, Caterpillmon!" His maniacal laugh echoed through the forest, and it would seem to haunt the little larva for the rest of his existence.

They were still far off from the gate that would lead Kaiya home, when the two young ones were ambushed by a group of Devimon. The black devils surrounded them, each threatening the larva and the human with their blood-dipped claws.

Overcome with fear, the little girl started to shake; "Caterpillmon," she said with a trembling voice, "I'm scared..." Her little friend stood his ground, and even moved closer to her as the Devimon moved in; in a calm, soothing voice he replied, "It's okay, Kaiya. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise."

The situation was bleak; here, there was only one Rookie, up against five Champions. But instead of running and abandoning the human, instead Caterpillmon curled up around her shoulders in an attempt to shield her. The two of them then braced themselves as the Devimon hissed, "TOUCH OF EVIL..."

_"…By the time we got there, it was too late…"_

The Digi-Keepers, still in their human forms at the time, looked on with despair as Caterpillmon curled himself around the still body of Kaiya. "…Kaiya," he begged, "you've gotta get up… Come on, we gotta take you home now… Kaiya? ….Kaiya??"

Gaiamon picked up the girl in her arms, and could see that the child had taken a blow to the head during the onslaught. Caterpillmon stared up at the Keeper; "I-is she alright?" he peeped. The Keeper looked down on him and narrowed her eyes, "…She's been knocked out cold. I'm not sure just how serious her injury is. We must take her home now."

As she and her sisters rushed toward the gateway to their real world, Caterpillmon called out to them, "Wait!" With that, he made a mad dash- as mad a dash as anyone with his tiny legs could- tailing the Keepers.

_"We wasted no time in eliminating the bridge that Daemon had built between his Dark Ocean world and our digital world. But when we did, we realized that many of his digimon remained in our once proud paradise. And we couldn't delete them ourselves, thanks to their Virus formation; so my sisters and I had no choice but to leave this place as it was. A place where good and evil live together._

_"We did, of course, take into consideration of upgrading our creatures so that they too could become Champions, Ultimates and so forth. In those forms they could act as the protectors against the evil ones, and for this reason alone we've upgraded them. But before we began this process, there was only one thing left that I needed to do…"_

She found him curled up under a willow tree, more weepy-eyed than the tree itself. Gaiamon looked down on him with a heart heavy with pity; she whispered, "There, there. It's alright… No one's going to hurt Kaiya anymore."

Caterpillmon wiped his eyes as best he could, and sniffed, "…S-she… she's never coming back, is she?" Gaiamon shook her head sadly, "No. I'm afraid she's not… I don't think any of them are ever coming back. This world is no longer safe for children-"

He then interrupted her by burying his head in shame, "It's all my fault! I started it; I was sent to help destroy this place…" His sobbing and sniffling continued on until Gaiamon hushed him with, "Caterpillmon… I've been watching you with Kaiya, and I've seen for myself that you are not to blame for what happened. In fact, you tried to save her…"

Her soothing words were enough to make the little caterpillar stop sniffling. At once, he turned his big yellow eyes to her; he gulped, "A lot of good that did… I wasn't meant to be a fighter. I'm just… I'm…"

"You're a digimon," Gaiamon finished his sentence with a small smile; "…And as a digimon, you have the right to stay here, and be who you choose to be." Caterpillmon looked confused; "…Wh-who I choose to be?" he echoed. "Yes," nodded the Keeper; "I will let you stay here in my realm, where you could decide for yourself who you wish to serve."

He gave it very little thought; soon enough he looked back at her and gave a meek nod; "I wanna stay here… With you. Make me one of _your_ digimon. …Please, Gaia?"

With that she only smiled, and stretched out her right hand to him, touching his brow. With that, he fell into a deep sleep under the tree.

Then, using her own powers, she raised up her hands high enough to quietly summon a blanket of moss, which enveloped Caterpillmon inside of it. Like a real caterpillar, he had been cocooned by this moss; soon a ray of light began to shine from within the cocoon, and when it had diminished, a flower bloomed.

Within the flower appeared Wormmon- the Wormmon as we know him today; green, purple, and blue-eyed.

"That became the first day I've ever reformatted a digimon- and a Virus type, nonetheless. But if you ask me, it was certainly worth it."

------ End Flashback ------

"…Wow… That's just… wow," was all Davis could say.

This was back with those who had gathered around Gaiamon, of course. They've just heard the story about how she became the proud owner of Wormmon, and just the little Rookie, they were all moved by it. "I never thought such a sweet little guy like that could've been evil once," said Jun.

The lady in the tree replied, "Well, what he'd gone through proved to me that even if they are programmed to think a certain way, digimon can develop minds of their own. I would like to think that the same could be said about all of Daemon's creatures… But I'm sure most of them choose to be evil."

"It's like a bad habit," remarked Matt, who stood leaning by a tree nearby; "They can't help themselves."

"No," shook Gaiamon's head, "perhaps not… But at least one of them did. Now all he has to do is let go of the past." "Gee," muttered Davis, who was tempted to glance at his nearby comatose friend, "this is starting to sound like another story I know…"

There was a pause of silence then. Nobody noticed, but within the brief hush that fell upon the gathered heroes, the pinkish rose-shaped symbol on Ken's battle crest began to softly glow.

------------ Vision: Ken's Dream World, Part II ------------

"Uugh… Of all places to get lost in… Why does it always have to be a desert? …I mean this is my dream world for crying out loud; at least make it rain!"

Feeling hot and tired after walking through a vast wasteland, of course, was all in Ken's head, but the strangest part was that it was beginning to feel more real with every minute… or hour… or however long he's been in this state of unconsciousness. And it was starting to get to him at last.

But now, as the so-called wind picked up, making a wave of sand catch up with him as he reached the peak of a sandy dune, Ken started to think to himself out loud, "…Maybe I can't help it… Maybe I'm stuck here 'cause my mind's all messed up from that fight with Gluttonymon… We _were_ in a desert for real, after all; maybe when I got hit, seeing the desert was the only thing I could remember…"

Then he stopped; all the while he was walking aimlessly, his eyes were fixed on the road-less ground, but now they finally caught the sight of something unusual.

"…Footprints?"

There were two sets of footprints; the pair on his left were clearly that of a human's, for they were shaped out like shoes. The footprints on the right, however, were half the size of the human ones, and had three toes each. Clearly, they had to be made by digimon feet.

Ken put two and two together by remembering that he had seen Ryo and his Veemon before and guessed, "If this is the same desert I saw before, then these must be Ryo and Veemon's prints… But… how could I see these if I never found out what happened to them? I mean, after I went back home these two just… disappeared."

He then gazed out into the horizon, where the footprints would lead, and would perhaps go beyond it. As much as he wanted to follow them, he knew that he couldn't. His mind had so many limits, he just felt that following those footprints would take him nowhere.

His heart started to sink with sorrow as he frowned, "…Those two and Wormmon were the best friends I had. How could they just disappear like that?"

Feeling like the lost soul that he was, Ken sat down in the sand, accepting certain defeat. He sighed deeply as the wind started to brush his hair, "I feel so alone… I hate being alone. I wish Wormmon were here…

"Wormmon?"

When he muttered that, he started to grow worried, as if he could start to sense something in the air. It was his natural instincts given to him by his title as a Digi-Destined; he knew that Wormmon was near, and that he needed him. He jumped to his feet and started to call him, "Wormmon! …Wormmon, are you out there?? Can you hear me??…"

It didn't seem like anyone could hear Ken; he seemed to be just a dot in a never-ending desert. But perhaps the desert was holding him back all along; maybe if he looked to the sky instead, which he then did…

------------ End Vision ------------

All of a sudden, Ken found himself back in the waking world, at last. He could see the emerald trees surrounding Gaiamon, and he could hear the birds chirping within them.

He could see familiar faces nearby; there was Davis and Veemon, sitting on a mossy log, and near him sat Jun and Penguinmon. To his surprise, he could see Tai walking by, and Matt was in the scene too, under a tree shade with Gabumon. He had to be awake, because he could almost swear he felt the cool breeze in the air, and the sun in his face.

"…Am I… awake?" he asked himself. He then decided to investigate by calling out to his friends, "Davis! …Veemon? …Jun! Penguinmon! …Tai? …Matt? …Can you guys-"

He was about to finish his question, when the answer became all to clear to him soon enough. Perhaps by accident, Ken turned himself around and looked downward. There, he saw something he never expected to see: himself.

He was still unconscious, it seemed, and the only reason why he could see everything in the waking world was because he was having an out of body experience.

"Okay," muttered Ken in his ghostly form, "this is way too weird…" But then he could see that his Battle Crest of Kindness was blinking; not just that it was blinking, but it seemed to be blinking in syncopation with his heartbeat.

Feeling its energy, he spoke to the crest, "You brought me out here."

It was then clear to his spirit that he was out in the waking world for a reason; "Wormmon…" Then, he seemed to have disappeared.

"I knew it… I knew there had to be a reason why I'm the only Virus type of the whole gang…"

As a leaf trickled its way down into the water, Wormmon was still staring at his reflection in the river nearby, sulking over his guilty past.

He continued to lecture himself softly, "Virus types were never meant to be friends with children. They were never meant to be friends with anybody. Why was I so different? What made me change myself like that? …Do you think there could be more like me? …Or am I one of a kind?"

He paused to wonder this, when he heard a strangely familiar voice: "You certainly are one of a kind."

Wormmon was shocked to hear the voice of Ken, because not only was it his voice, but it sounded like he was a child again. The little caterpillar turned around, and as if he were psychic, he could see a transparent eight-year-old version of his human partner. Wormmon's eyes glimmered with both surprise and joy, as he whimpered, "…mmm… Ken-chan?"

He hadn't called him "Ken-chan" in what seemed like a lifetime; that was his personal pet name for the little boy. Equally moved by the moment, Ken's spirit blushed, "Yeah… it's me, Wormmon. I had a feeling you needed me."

Wormmon started to shake with anxiety, "I did!" he nodded; "I mean, I do! I need you right now…" Even though he couldn't touch anything, Ken's chibi-like spirit knelt down and reached out for his troubled partner; Wormmon reacted by practically jumping into the transparent arms. They couldn't really come in contact with each other, but it was the thought that counted.

As he nuzzled the spirit and his eyes welled with tears, Wormmon said, "I was beginning to think I wasn't worthy of you; that I was never meant to be a Digi-Destined partner."

Ken's spirit frowned, "Why would you ever think like that, Wormmon?" The little green digimon replied, "I was created by Daemon. I was supposed to be on his side, and if it weren't for the other Keepers, I'd probably still be on his side."

Ken's spirit paused, but then he smiled, "Hey… It's okay, buddy; I know exactly how you feel. And look, we're both better people now, so nothing we did in the past matters now." Wormmon sniffed, "…How did you do it, Ken-chan? How did you forgive yourself after you realized every cruel thing you've done?" The spirit sighed, "I'll be the first to tell you that it's not easy… But I forgive you."

"You don't even know-"

"And maybe I don't wanna know. But I don't really care…"

The youthful spirit of Ken then leaned in closer to his partner and said, "Wormmon, you were sent to me for a reason. Maybe somebody knew that we'd be connected like this, or maybe it was all just coincidence. But no matter what, I've always been proud to have you as my digimon, and I always will. I couldn't ask for a better partner, and I mean that with all my heart."

As if he wasn't choked up enough, the little caterpillar was then on the brink of balling his eyes out and sobbing like a baby. But something held him back from doing so, and instead he just let the tears stream down his face.

Seeing his partner's spirit was one thing; hearing it speak those sincere words was perhaps more than what Wormmon needed to be at peace with himself. Perhaps the spirit would have been just as emotional, if he had a physical form.

Then he just remembered that he did have a physical form, and that it needed him to return as soon as possible. Ken's spirit let out a small gasp, alerting Wormmon.

"Ken-chan?" he muttered with a blink; Ken's spirit frowned to his partner and could only say, "I gotta go…" And just as Wormmon tried to coax him to stay by uttering, "Wait! Ken-chan?" the spirit had vanished. Wormmon gasped, thinking that something horrible had happened to Ken's spirit just then.

But a moment later, it dawned on him and he frowned, "…I guess he's back where he belongs… in his body…" He sighed, starting to miss his partner all over again.

He wouldn't have to feel lonely for long, because shortly afterward, he started to feel a tremble in the earth. It was a very unnatural tremble; it was as if a volcano was erupting a few miles away. Alarmed, Wormmon gathered his wits and quickly crawled back to Gaiamon's tree.

"…What's going on?" panted the little caterpillar once he met up with his friends by Gaiamon. They all turned to him in surprise, but Gaiamon herself replied to him with a look of distress in her face, "It's happening again… My realm is weakening in power…"

Then, sensing another bad vibe, she widened her eyes in revelation, "It's Gluttonymon."

Tai balled a fist, "Where is he?" "In the heart of my gardens," replied the Keeper. Matt looked to his digimon partner who stood by his side and asked, "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's pay him a visit!" "Yeah!" cheered Agumon and Gabumon.

------------ Vision: Digivolutions, 1 ------------

"AGUMON!"

"GABUMON!"

(Both) "WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO………….

"WAR GREYMON!"

"METAL GARURUMON!"

"Tai Kamiya!"

"Matt Ishida!"

(Both) "BATTLE-GEAR DIGIVOLVE, BASED ON…….

"WAR GREYMON!"

"WEREGARURUMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Just when Davis was about to unleash his own digimon's power, Tai called out to him, "Davis! You and Jun stay here and look after the others. We'll try to hold off Gluttonymon for as long as we can." "Okay," replied Davis, "but first let's gear up."

------------ Vision: Digivolutions, 2 ------------

"VEEMON!"

"PENGUINMON!"

(Both) "DIGIVOLVE TO………..

"EXVEEMON!"

"SABERDRAMON!"

"EXVEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO………….. PAILDRAMON!"

------------ End Visions ------------

As Gaiamon had informed them, Tai and his crew flew over to the center of the Great Gardens. The two humans were transported there by their Mega-level digimon, who shot through the air like rockets; with their speed, they reached their destination in no time.

But when they arrived at the scene, they seemed to be too late. No longer was there a single tree that stood as tall as a building, or a flower patch that would have been sprinkled across the plain, or even a babbling brook that would scrape through the fields in zig-zag formats.

No, the only thing Tai and friends could see was a completely wasted valley with uproots, debris, and trails of dirt which could have been made by bulldozers. The humans and digimon paused to glare at the sudden change of the Great Gardens and were horrified.

"My God…" muttered Battle-Gear Tai as he dismounted War Greymon's back; "I hear ya," replied Battle-Gear Matt as he dismounted Metal Garurumon. Tai looked to his human friend and frowned, "I never thought one Sin could do so much damage in such a short time.

**"…Who? Me?"**

This voice came from behind them, and the heroes knew off the bat who it belonged to. But when they turned around to face their enemy, who seemed to have emerged from the ground in a surprise attack, they never thought that he would be so tall. His shadow not only loomed over them, but it went on for at least a mile…

"I never liked this plan… I just know someone's going to get hurt! And that someone that I don't want to see get hurt!"

These words came from the voice of Lustmon, as she snaked through the treetops in her shadow form, frantically searching for the Digi-Destined. Well, one in particular… And she found him, alright; to her surprise, he was being lifted in the air by a Saberdramon, who also had on his back a young lady and a small caterpillar.

These, of course, were Jun and Wormmon, and soon enough they were joined in the sky by Davis and Paildramon. Lustmon was watching them from a safe distance, but she could hear Davis say, "Okay Jun, you guys take Ken as far away from here as you can. Paildramon and I are gonna try to help Tai and Matt!" "Okay," nodded Jun.

But one second later, there came an unpleasant change in the atmosphere. A far distant explosion went off, followed by a mushroom cloud that went on for miles. It was as if someone set off a nuclear bomb, and it soon felt that way too, as a major shock wave affected even the area in which Davis and crew were in.

Lustmon knew what this meant, as she glanced in the direction of the explosion; "…Too late."

This was an attack made by Gluttonymon, and unfortunately for them, Tai, Matt and their digimon were right there in the area in which the enlarged Sin exploded.

War Greymon and Metal Garurumon were literally blown away by this explosion, that before they were taken off by the force of the explosion's shock wave, they de-digivolved back into their In-Training forms. With them, in the shock wave, flew Matt and Tai.

And it didn't end there. Gluttonymon's power was so great, that a monstrous wildfire spread from the area in which he was in all the way to Gaiamon's region. And that was miles away.

While they were still being pushed back by the shock wave of the explosion, Davis and company watched in horror as the fires of Gluttonymon started to wipe the land clean of all of its plantation. While Paildramon was in his Ultimate form, he was strong enough to hold himself steady in the air.

Saberdramon, unfortunately, wasn't that powerful, and found himself flapping his wings like crazy as his body started to turn vertically. Jun held on for dear life to his neck, but then realized that she had another passenger on board, and he was slipping off fast.

"Ken!" she hollered in vain; Wormmon tried to reach him, but his partner was already on the verge of falling off Saberdramon; "No!!" he gasped.

Ken did fall off Saberdramon, but he wouldn't come to harm, for just as he was in mid-air, he was intercepted by a dark flash, and with it he was gone.

Wormmon couldn't believe his eyes; "Wha?" he blurted out. Just then, Paildramon and Davis (who was clinging onto his partner's left shoulder) came floating by due to the force of the shock wave; Davis called out, "What just happened!?" "Something's got Ken!" Wormmon replied; "I'm going to find him!"

As planned, the little Rookie leapt off Saberdramon's back and shot a "Silk Thread" from his mouth to a nearby tree branch. Then like Tarzan, he swung to the ground, which by then was now nothing more than ash and dirt.

Wormmon wasted no time in crawling around for his human partner; he knew that calling out to him would be pointless, since Ken was still unconscious.

But his search ended almost as quickly as it began, when Wormmon jumped through a withering bush to find his partner at last… in Lustmon's arms. The Sin had caught him, saving his life, and was at this moment laying him back down on the ground.

"Hey!" shouted Wormmon, startling her. Wormmon had warned her before about staying away from Ken, and now this seemed to be the straw that broke the caterpillar's back; "What're you doing?" he growled; "Get away from him! Go on, get outta here!"

There was an unfamiliar look in the Sin's violet eyes; she seemed to show concern. Whether it was concern for Ken or for herself seemed unclear, but either way she quickly turned tail and scampered off into the withering forest without even thinking about picking a fight.

It was only when Wormmon got the chance to move in closer to Ken and see that he had not a scratch on him when the Rookie finally realized what just happened; "…She saved his life."

About that time, the wind finally died down, allowing the others to make soft landings nearby. When they did, the humans immediately threw themselves from their digimon partners' backs and rushed over to Ken and Wormmon's side. "Oh my God," gasped a very concerned Davis, "is he alright??" "He's okay," replied a much calmer Wormmon; "Don't worry. I think we're all alright now."

**"Not really,"** interrupted a very deep, inhuman voice.

Creeped out by this voice that seemed to come from behind them, the gang slowly turned around and came face to face… to face… with a Gluttonymon that stood an abnormal four stories high.

Not only was he three times his original size, but he was much darker this time, with brown skin (and tan boils on his bloated stomach), red hyena-like hair running down his back, dark gray shaded blades on his arms which still shaped out a fork and knife, yellow teeth in both jaws, and his two pairs of eyes (one on his spliced animal face, the other to go with the rubbery jaws of his tummy) were light blue. The giant Sin sneered at them with his hyena/warthog face.

The group of heroes before him had to take a few steps back, even Paildramon. "What the heck??" gasped Davis to the Sin; "You were much smaller last time I saw you!" **"I know,"** gloated the overexcited Gluttonymon; **"I had myself a major upgrade done, thanks to my master! Now I'm twice as powerful, and there's nothing you can do to stop me from wiping out this entire forest!"**

Jun had picked up Ken by his shoulders to move him back, and stayed with him at that moment; she looked up at the Sin and frowned timidly, "No you won't! Tai and Matt will take care of you before that happens."

**"You mean these guys?"** smiled the spliced face of Gluttonymon, followed by the opening of his stomach's mouth. It coughed up the battered and temporarily shell-shocked Tai, Matt and their In-Training digimon.

"Tai!" Davis gasped, followed by Jun's gasp, "Matt!" **"Puh," **said Gluttonymon, **"They were a cakewalk, and even in their highest levels…. Mmm… Cake… Now I'm hungry! Who wants to be my next meal?" **When he asked this, he raised up his fork and knife for arms.

Davis, Jun and their digimon prepared for the worst, when suddenly a pinkish glow interrupted the scene. Startled, the heroes, including Wormmon, turned to where it was coming from: Ken's battle crest. It was a very brief glow, but it was just the kind of signal they needed to see, because once it died down, something else started to stir, and that was Ken himself. After nearly four days of being locked in a state of unconscious, he was now fluttering his eyes open.

Though his friends were excited to see this, it was a moment of joy that was then rudely interrupted by Gluttonymon; **"Oh good, lazy boy's awake! Now he can get to watch as I eat him and all his little friends alive!"**

"…You'll do no such thing," came a lady's voice from another direction.

To even the surprise of Gluttonymon, this was the voice of Gaiamon, and when he turned to the far left to see her, she stood there, free from her willow tree form (though she still shaded green from the head down, and her hair was still dripping with leaves) at last.

She glared mercilessly at Gluttonymon. "It's not them you want," she said to him, "It's me." The Sin grinned with both mouths, **"Too true… You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to this; now I'll not only have your data, but all the power that comes with it!"** Then he laughed, as any power-drunk villain would at a moment like this.

Gaiamon then turned her head over to her friends and said, "Leave this place, children. I can handle him on my own." Reminding himself of the responsibility that was appointed to him in the first place, Davis dared to argue, "But Gaia-" "Go!" she blurted out; "Now!"

Davis seemed to be taken back, but he could tell in her tone of voice that she was dead serious, and that she could have handled this situation on her own. So he took command and said to his friends, "Let's get out of here."

In no time, Saberdramon took to the sky with Jun, followed by Stingmon cradling a still weakened Ken, and then last but not least to jump in the air was Paildramon, who had Tai, Matt and their partners in his arms and Davis hanging onto his back. The three of them took off with Davis muttering as he looked back at Gaiamon, "I hope she knows what she's doing!"

She did, indeed; the Keeper of the Land stood perfectly still without flinching her eyes at Gluttonymon. No matter how much power he had gained, she seemed confident that she could defeat him.

But the enormous Sin, drooling greedily with his two massive jaws, just laughed at her; **"Look at you! I was expecting someone big and threatening, and here you're just a little girl as thin as a stick! You haven't even given yourself a chance by making all your friends go away. Oh… this is gonna be almost too sad!" **

The Keeper just glared at him, "Just do as you wish." Gluttonymon raised his fork and knife for arms in the air again and replied, **"Fine! I'll give you the same treatment as your little cronies… RECKLESS DESTRUCTION!"**

Just as he promised, his stomach's jaws opened wide and unleashed a torrent of fire, which had the same destructive force as a nuclear bomb. It seemed to have smoked Gaiamon, as well as the entire area within a ten-mile radius.

While the land was still painted in flames, the Sin laughed insanely, believing that this one attack was all it would take to claim victory… But then, something he didn't expect happened; **"Huh??"** he gasped.

He saw it with his top blue eyes; where the Keeper once stood… was still standing, but instead of being made of leaf and vine, she was now covered head to tow in flames. Her flesh and eyes, in fact, were shades in red, yellow and orange. And she remained calm and unflinching, as she did before he launched his attack on her.

**"How??"** he growled in frustration; **"HOW did you survive that attack??" **The Keeper replied, "You know what they say about that which doesn't kill you…"

But there was more to it than she let on; Gaiamon was not only the Keeper of the Land, but also everything that survived on it, and that included fire. This was a bit of information that Gluttonymon, perhaps, could have needed. But it was too late at this point.

It was then her turn to attack; Gaiamon moved forward, preparing to take a flying leap at the bloated Sin. He saw it coming, so he opened his stomach's jaws as widely as he could- they were wide enough to swallow a mad truck, or two. Though he did this, Gaiamon didn't decline from her attack; instead, she pushed herself forward, appearing to be like a firecracker or a comet in the process. She then had no choice but to enter Gluttonymon's stomach, which was his plan… and hers as well.

Before the Sin could even pause to gloat about this, he realized what he had allowed Gaiamon to do, and almost in a flash, she exited his body from his back, thus cutting right through him in a blaze of fire. It seemed as though even with twice the amount of power, he was still not strong enough to take down a Keeper, and was about to pay for it heavily.

Gluttonymon paused to notice the giant hole in his torso and bellowed in terror, **"…What… have you DONE??" **Gaiamon was nowhere in sight to respond; she seemed to have disappeared in the fire. Nevertheless, he got his answer soon enough; in seconds, his body started to crack like glass, until it covered him from head to would-be toe.

Helpless to stop this, he let out a roar of anguish, and then like a balloon with too much air, he exploded in a burst of data. It was enough to make the ground quake, and the blast could be heard throughout the rest of the forest.

It took a few hours for the smoke to clear and the fires to die down, and when they did, those heroes that were forced to leave returned to a desolate wasteland.

All of the trees that once blocked out the sun, even on the clearest of days, had been swept away by Gluttonymon's careless destruction. It was more than enough to dampen the spirits of the humans and digimon that have sworn to protect this land. And their spirits weren't any more lifted when they realized that Gaiamon was missing.

Tai, Matt and their partners woke up to this scene and were devastated. They stayed in one place, while the others gathered the strength they had to go look for the Keeper. They shouted her name, looked behind every ashy corner, and time was slipping away. Still no Gaiamon.

The whole group came to a stop after nearly an hour of hopeless searching, and rested in the area in which the Keeper of the Land was last seen. Jun looked to her digimon parner for comfort by muttering, "She... she can't be gone, can she?" Penguinmon replied in a somber tone, "I don't know... Maybe she went back into the Earth to regenerate herself. ...Or maybe-"

"Maybe she was too weak to withstand Gluttonymon?" guessed a nearby Davis; he then narrowed his eyes, "No way! We can't start thinking like that. She's just gotta be around here somewhere."

But Jun's heart was filled with doubt; "Look around you, Davis," she replied solemnly; "Look at all the destruction... All the trees, the flowers. They're all gone. Let's just face it; we failed..."

No one seemed to notice, but there was a certain lack of coloration in her eyes when she said this. And for a moment, nobody seemed to argue with her.

But then, out of nowhere it seemed, Ken's soft voice said, "You only fail if you give up." Davis had almost forgotten that his best buddy had finally awakened, so he, along with most of the others, were stunned to see him standing on his feet nearby.

He wasn't quite finished talking, but he paused to glance down at the Battle Crest that hung around his neck like a charm. It was glowing hot pink, just as it did when he snapped out of his coma. He then said, "We can find her, if we just put our powers together... Tai. Davis. You each have a crest that shares part of Gaiamon's power. Let's use them."

Farther away from him than Davis stood Tai; he was reminded that he and Ken were both cosen ones of Gaiamon, and that one third of Davis's crest came from her as well. "Yeah," he nodded, clutching onto his crest, which started to glow orange.

Davis was next to follow in line, and as he reached down to his own Crest, it started to glow red. The three of them unleashed the power of their crests, and out from them came three specifically colored rays of light. Red, pink and orange lights, as bright and soft as the sun's own rays, found their way to one particular spot on the ground.

There they stayed, until the earth magically opened up. The Digi-Destined and their partners watched in awe, as out from underneath a desolate patch of earth sprouted a flower. But it wasn't just any flower; this one was glowing with pure green energy, almost angelic-like. When it bloomed, its petals shown in a glorious shade of red-violet.

But then the flower's shape started to shift into the figure of a young lady, and its top part grew a face; its petals remained, but took shape of long, flowing hair at the same time. When she opened her mossy green eyes, everyone knew who it was and cheered, "Gaiamon!"

Indeed, the Keeper of the Land was reborn in the form of a great flower; her former size was now halved, though. She was about as high as the humans' legs, but that didn't phase them.

They all ran to her in jubilation, along with their digimon. Gaiamon greeted them all with a warm smile, "Children... I'm glad you brought me back; thank you." Davis meekly rubbed his nose, "Ahh, it was nothin'! I told you it was nothing we couldn't handle! Right, guys?" "Uhh... ehh..." was the resounding reply.

The small Koromon then asked, "Whatever happened to Gluttonymon?" "He's gone," replied the Keeper; "He was too reckless in thought that he couldn't handle his newfound power. Though I must admit, taking him down was a little more difficult than I expected... But I did manage to snatch something of his."

Her audience looked on in curiosity as the flower-shaped girl pulled something from behind her; it was a heart-shaped topaz stone. "What is that?" asked Davis; Gaiamon replied with a smile, "You wouldn't believe it, Davis, but this is Gluttonymon's heart."

"He had a heart??" everyone gasped in surprise.

Showing her frailty, Gaiamon laughed very softly, "Hmm-hmm... I'm not quite sure what this means either, but perhaps we'll know in time... Here." She handed the heart over to Tai, who took it graciously; "You hold onto it for now," she said with a weakening voice tone; "I think I'll rest for a little while... Wake me up when something else happens."

Figuring that the Keeper had just about enough excitement for one day, the group allowed her to close herself up in her flower form, and like a real flower during the night she dozed off.

While she started to sleep, her chosen ones started to reflect on their hectic day. Tai observed aloud, "Wow... So, Gluttonymon is gone now, and we've got his heart, but now the Great Gardens are almost totally destroyed. Where exactly do we go from here?"

Matt rested himself by a charred rock and replied weakly, "Maybe we should just wait 'till the others show up, Tai. Besides, I think Gaiamon's got the right idea... Why don't we rest a bit?"

"No offense, you guys," Ken cracked a smile, "but I think I've had enough rest to last me a lifetime." Davis patted his back, "You said it, bro! Let's go round up the rest of the gang and fill them in on everything!" "Okay," nodded Ken. Within moments, their Ultimate digimon came alive and took off in the sky.

The others took Matt's advice, and tried to rest themselves. It had been a crazy day, and it was only halfway done.

And as his friends started to succeed in finding their peace, Tai stayed awake the longest, observing Gluttonymon's yellow topaz heart. He still couldn't believe that a Sin digimon would even have a heart.

But one thing he could believe was the simple fact that it was ice cold, hard as stone, and not beating.

TO BE CONTINUED


	24. Behold, The Noble One

"While everybody else was playing chess with the Sins, I've been stuck in my own little dream world, solving mysteries to my long-forgotten past. And speaking of facing one's dark past, ironically so was Wormmon. He's been rattled by the revelation that he was once one of Daemon's little cronies, but Gaiamon explained that his compassion for a young human girl changed his heart, and ultimately his programming. I guess he and I have a lot more in common than we realized. Oh, let's not forget, Gluttonymon got a major power boost and broke loose on Gaiamon's garden paradise, in hopes to destroy her. But the Keeper was too much for him, and now we're down one Sin, with only six more to go!"

-Ken

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-Four: "Behold, The Noble One"**

On the night that the Digi-Destined were slowly but surely reunited, there was peace throughout the digital world, including the far-off and secluded File Island. It was a small continent that once saw its own adventure unfold many years ago, when the first band of human children were introduced to the digital world.

This was the home of Leomon, a noble Champion with the head, tail and claws of a lion and the body of a muscular man, complete with a pair of army green pants. He was the guardian of this island, and having a guardian could only prove that this island was more than what it seemed.

Just under two days ago, this island was met with another guardian-like digimon; one who had been washed up ashore unannounced: Veedramon Zero.

The battle that he had taken part in against Greedmon in his underwater lair had weakened the aged Champion, and it showed while he sat by a fire, which Leomon had started on this particular night.

By this point, Veedramon had taken the time to introduce himself to the humanoid lion, and vice versa, though no other details had been revealed yet; "So," said Leomon to his new friend, "you say the Digi-Destined have returned?" "Yep," replied the Veedramon in a soft voice; "I saw a couple of 'em; one of them I already know as Daisuke."

Leomon sat up against a tall oak tree in Indian style, as if meditating, and replied, "I've seen them before too, but that was a long time ago." Zero blinked, "You know these humans?" Leomon explained, "I've met with them before, yes. They were very young back then, and in fact they weren't yet aware of why they were sent to this world."

Zero then asked, "Isn't it funny how they only show up when there's something bad going on around here? I mean, I'm really good friends with a few of them, and..." "And," concluded Leomon, "you wish they'd stick around." Veedramon just sighed, looking depressed as he glanced down at the bonfire.

Leomon then smiled, "We seem to have something in common then, uh... Zero, is it?" "Yeah," nodded the Veedramon. The humanoid lion said, "I suppose this world was meant for humans to live in, but how can they if it keeps getting invaded by evil digimon?" "It's a never-ending cycle," frowned the Veedramon in despair.

"Well," commented Leomon, "at least the evil ones keep bringing our human friends back. Perhaps one of these days they'll come here to File Island." Zero thought about the idea for a moment, then he shook his head, "I don't think I can wait that long... There's one human I want to go back to more than any of them... I just hope he remembers me."

Leomon didn't bother to question the Veedramon on who he was talking about; he did, however, say, "You're not fully recovered from being washed up on shore, Zero. Why don't you just take some time to rest here? I'm sure you need it... You look like you've just come back from a war."

Zero let out a small "Heh." He knew the Leomon was half right; he had been warring against the evil digimon for centuries now, and it was starting to show in the form of battle scars.

But now that Taichi was here at long last, he just couldn't bear the thought of battling all by himself anymore. He decided to take Leomon's advice and rest up on File Island, but there would soon come a day when his strength would return, and on that day, he'd kiss File Island goodbye and search for his human partner.

Then something started to buzz in Zero's head which caused him to blurt out, "Leomon? ...Were you once a partner to a human?" "You mean me? A Digi-Destined's digimon?" asked a slightly confused Leomon; "Yeah," nodded Zero. Leomon smiled, "No, not me. I'm sure one of them had a Leomon at one point or another, but I only know them as my friends."

Then Zero felt the need to ask, "If you were a partner, then... If you knew your human partner was out there, how far would you go to get back with him?" Leomon gave him an answer that sounded like that of a wise old man, "I'm not sure about that, Zero. I think if I were a Digi-Destined's partner, then I'd never leave his or her side. When a human is paired up with a digimon, it's for life. They're like soul mates, in a way. You see what I'm saying?"

Zero gave him a nod, "You're saying that nothing can come between a human and his digimon... Yeah. I can see that..." He took a moment to let Leomon's words sink in, but he was at the same time being haunted by the memory of seeing Taichi with an Agumon. All at once, he started to doubt his senses and his desire to be reunited with Taichi.

But then Leomon said, "On the other hand, the humans may need all the help they could get. Maybe they don't have to be limited to just one digimon partner. ...Meh, I guess I'll never really know until it's my turn to join in the battle."

"You're gonna wait for the battle to come to you?" Zero questioned his new friend; Leomon replied, "I know my place, Zero, and it's right here. I know it sounds silly, but once you know where you belong, you don't go anywhere else. I guess that's how it is with a Digi-Destined's digimon; they're place is right there with their partner."

This made sense in Zero's head, but he was still torn by what he was supposed to do; was he to let Taichi stay with his Agumon, or was there still a place for Zero by Taichi's side? This puzzle was becoming an itch in his head that was just too hard to scratch.

Then he heard Leomon say that all-consuming question, "So Zero, have you figured out your place?" To his dismay, Zero knew that answer all too well... "No... Not yet."

The gang that was once divided became one again almost overnight. It was the lightning fast Paildramon that would pick up Cody, Izzy and the rest of the Digi-Destined troops that have ventured through Oceanamon's realm. As for TK, Kari and their digimon, they would come back to the jungles of Gaiamon's realm on their own, just as DinoBeemon would be transporting Yolei, Sora and their digimon in that direction.

But those that have been away for so long would be shocked to discover just how much of Gaiamon's jungle had been reaped of its vegetation thanks to Gluttonymon. The gang would gather where Gaiamon had anchored herself as a giant flower instead of a tree, in an area that was still smoking with ash and debris.

The Keeper of the Land was making a great effort all through the night in recreating the lost plant life, but so far all she could do was bring back the rivers and brooks that cut through the forest and summon up a soft carpet of new spring grass.

That was the good news; the bad news would come in time, because this would be the first time that any of the Digi-Destined that had previously been corrupted by the Sin Digimon would have their negativity come full circle, and by the time anyone would figure that out, it would be too late.

It was still morning when Sora, Yolei and their digimon arrived; that was when things started to become slightly unpleasant. The girls came flying in on their Ultimate digimon, Garudamon and Silphymon, with Ken and DinoBeemon leading the way.

By then, most of the others had already arrived thanks to Davis and Paildramon, and they were scouting the lands for any signs of new plant life. Yolei was in her Ultimate partner's arms during the trip, and when he landed he set her down on the ground to be welcomed by the devastation around them.

The purple-haired girl looked around sadly; "...This is horrible," she muttered to herself; she then turned to Ken as a chill crawled down her spine and said, "All this because of Gluttonymon? That's insane! Who knows just how powerful those Sins are?"

"I know," he nodded back as he dismounted DinoBeemon; "But the good news is that Gaiamon's still here, and she's working her tail off to clean up after this mess."

The two humans then started to walk around, with their partners (now de-digivolved into Rookies) following close behind. They observed their surroundings as their friends nearby were getting reacquainted with one another, as if it had been weeks since last they met.

"So," Ken started the conversation, "how was your trip?" Yolei looked back at him and smiled, "Oh, you know; find the Power Spine, knock it down... Actually, Sora and I met up with Polarimon in a cloud city; that was cool." "A cloud city?" he smiled back; "Wow... Wish I was there. Heck, I wish I was anywhere instead of being in a coma."

Yolei then blinked, "I heard about that... Are you alright now?" "I seem to be," he replied, while examining the back of his neck briefly. Ken still had the memories of his nightmarish dream world still fresh in his mind, but as he said he was otherwise feeling fine.

He then tried to change the subject with, "So nothing really exciting happened to you guys?" Yolei was then reminded of an incident, and as she bowed her head to the ground she admitted, "Well, there was Lustmon. She tried to make us think that there's no such thing as real love, or something like that."

Her friend cracked a smile, "No real love? Ha! That's a laugh... You didn't believe her, did you?" "Of course not," replied Yolei; "It never really mattered to me just how many guys I date, as long as I know there's one guy out there who's meant for me. I just need to keep looking for him, that's all."

Suddenly, Ken stopped in his tracks, causing a distracted Yolei to walk right past him. When she realized that he was no longer by his side, she turned back to him and blinked, "...What? What'd I say?" At that moment, she could see an insecure look in his eyes, as if he was concerned about something. But he backed up and tried to cover it up by saying, "Uh, nothing."

She didn't believe him; Yolei approached her friend and asked, "What's wrong, Ken?" He then felt trapped and replied honestly, "It's just... you sounded like you'd throw yourself at just about anybody."

Just as her mouth gaped, showing that she was insulted, Ken quickly added, "N-not that you would! I know you would never do that; you're not that kind of girl!" "You're darn right!" snapped Yolei, right before Ken explained with a sweat drop running down the side of his face, "I just think that maybe you're trying too hard in finding the right guy!...."

Then there was an awkward pause between the two of them; Yolei looked lost and confused, while Ken started to feel like he had just been treading through a mine field.

Then suddenly, Yolei asked with a tone of despair, "Do you think I'm hopeless?" "I never... ever... said that," replied Ken in a very sincere tone; "And I don't think that either. I know there's a guy out there for you somewhere, Yolei, and it's okay to go look for him... I just think..."

He stopped himself before he could go any further, and felt safe to turn his back on her before she noticed his true emotions.

She dared to face him again and tried to force out his true emotions by asking, "Go on, say it... You think I'm trying too hard, is that what you're trying to say?" The young man was now getting more and more uncomfortable with the subject; his eyes turned away with a look of sadness in them as he uncontrollably started to blush. With that, he meekly replied, "I don't wanna say anything that's gonna come out all wrong. 'Cause I know it will..."

Yolei was still taken back by his comments; she felt as if he were trying to let her down easy, to say as gently as possible that he never approved of her relationships.

"...But you don't think I'm hopeless," she begged for reassurance right then. Ken took a deep breath and with newfound confidence he replied, "No, I don't think you're hopeless." "...Good," was all she could say.

Then she turned her back to him and said, "Okay, I'm gonna see if I can find berries or something." In a slightly quick pace, Yolei marched into the leveled forest, with Hawkmon fluttering behind like her shadow.

Wormmon then crawled over to Ken and wondered, "Are you alright?" Ken was, at the moment, lost in thought as he gazed in the direction in which Yolei took off, but he quickly snapped out of it as he turned to Wormmon and answered, "I'm gonna take a break over by that tree." He was referring to a tree not far off, which was stripped of its leaves but otherwise in tact. The little caterpillar took his advice, and the two of them were on their way.

Meanwhile…

"Little to the left... Now move forward... Little more.... Little more... Perfect! Drop it right there," directed Izzy.

As he commanded, Kabuterrimon and Ikkakumon, with their combined strength, carried a ton of burned trees to an open field and placed them right in the center.

"Now," directed Izzy still, "let's chop it up into mulch."

As his partner had wanted, Kabuterrimon incinerated the tree logs with his "Electro Shocker;" within seconds, they were cindered. Ikkakumon then unleashed his "Harpoon Torpedo" to further chop the wood and ash into tiny particles.

Nearby, Joe witnessed this while leaning against a tree that wasn't as badly damaged as these that Izzy had riced up; also in the scene were Jun and Penguinmon, who were sitting up against a fallen log.

A doubtful Joe looked to Izzy and asked, "You sure this is gonna help Gaiamon replenish the land?" Izzy replied with a confident smile, "Hey, I might not have a green thumb, but I at least know one thing or two about gardening."

The shorter young man with the red hair then turned his attention to the other bystanders and waved, "Hey, Penguinmon! We could sure use your help getting the mulch to all the other trees." The little purple penguin listened and turned to Jun; "Whaddya say, Jun?" he asked her politely.

His human partner, who stared blankly at the earth with darkened eyes, replied in a slightly dark tone, "Do whatever you want, Penguinmon." He seemed to ignore the change in attitude in his partner, for the little penguin nodded, "Okay!" He waddled off to join in on the fun, while his partner muttered, "It's not like any of this matters…"

Sure enough, the little penguin immediately became a giant condor (or whatever Saberdramon is), and joined Kabuterrimon in flying the mulch around the perimeter of the Great Gardens that was in most damage.

At that time, TK, Kari and their digimon had finally arrived; they said their helloes to Joe and the others, and at first they seemed normal. That would soon change...

Later…

Tai and Matt were by a river with their digimon, pulling out fallen logs that were damming the water, blocking it from getting to where it was needed deeper in the woods.

They were soon met by Sora and Biyomon; no one seemed to notice, but Sora's eyes were darkened in tone. "What're you guys doing?" asked the young lady monotonously; Tai glanced up at her and smiled, "Hey, Sora! Biyomon!" Matt glanced up at them too and said, "We're just cleaning up after Gluttonymon; we could use a little help though."

Sora then remarked, "Are you suggesting that I help you?" "It would be nice," replied a narrow-eyed Matt. He didn't like the tone in her voice, and with good reason; she sounded cold.

Sounding cold still, Sora replied, "Well, Biyomon and I were just scouting the terrain; we can't stick in one place while the rest of this jungle needs us."

Tai then stepped out of the river to approach his arrived friend and smiled pleasantly, "Yeah, I know it's gonna take a lot of work, but we gotta take this one step at a time, Sora." She replied, "That's a good point... But still, you boys look like you've got this under control."

She then turned away and commanded, "Come on, Biyomon." The little pink bird looked back at her with a look of concern; "But Sora, maybe we-" she began to say; but Sora insisted, "Let's go." Not one to disappoint her partner, Biyomon gulped and scampered off after Sora.

Tai paused in wonder and then turned back to his river-bound friends, "That seemed weird." Matt leaned up against a log that was being held up by a sweat-dropping Gabumon and replied, "Nah; I'll bet she's just in one of those moods." Tai gulped nervously, "You mean... those once-a-month moods?" Matt just shrugged, "I don't question them; I just take 'em as they come."

His comment was then followed by Gabumon falling over into the river; thanks to Matt's leaning, the digimon had lost his grip on the erected tree log and with it he made a big splash.

Elsewhere…

Mimi was already in tears by the time her fate was sealed. She knew she was doomed from the start, but she had only herself to blame for getting herself into such a predicament. Now the heat was on, in a matter of speaking; Cody just stared back at her blankly, mercilessly.

Then he went in for the kill... by discarding two fire Energy cards into his discard pile and stated, "Sorry, Mimi... But my Blaziken EX's 100 damage incinerates your Beautifly." Yes, they were playing the Pokémon trading card game. "Nooooo," wailed Mimi, "my poor Beautifly!"

Cody then proceeded to finish the game by instructing, "And now I'll take my sixth prize, and win the game." Not yet over the "death" of her favorite Pokémon card, Mimi growled at the young boy, "Err! No wonder that card of yours deserves to be banned! And besides, I'm better at 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' anyway!"

As Cody nonchalantly reshuffled his deck of cards, he remarked, "Oh, I've seen your Dark Magician Girl deck; trust me, I can Trample it." Mimi then balled a fist and hissed, "Is that a challenge? Alright then, let's duel!" Just as they had begun to clear to so-called playing field of their Pokémon cards, Davis was discovered standing by.

Their attention was drawn to him as he shook his head to them and frowned jokingly, "...Have you no shame?" Mimi and Cody got the joke and just huffed in reply.

"Well," came the voice of Kari, as she and TK walked into the scene, "looks like nothing's getting done around here." Neither Cody nor Mimi felt offended by this remark; Cody replied calmly, "We're just trying to keep our spirits up; besides, there's not much we can do to restore this jungle."

Davis glanced around to see for himself that Cody was right; while everyone else was scrounging around for plant life, their searching would seem in vain.

TK then crossed his arms in response to Cody's comment, "You may have a point, but we might as well look around to see if we can clean up any debris or see if there's any endangered digimon."

Davis then stepped in and argued, "No rest for the weary? Come on, TK, lighten up. You too, Kari; you guys act like the world is about to end whenever we stop to take a breather."

Davis was then met with a look in Kari's eyes that he never would have dreamed of seeing; she narrowed her darkened eyes to him and coldly replied, "If the world was going to end each time you acted lazy, then we wouldn't have survived our childhood."

Though she and TK had for countless times teased Davis for being somewhat of an underachiever, never before had their tones sounded so harsh. With that in mind, Davis took this comment to heart and felt offended; he backed up and responded, "Woah! Who left _your_ fridge open, Kari? That sounded cold."

Before Cody and Mimi could jump in and back Davis up, TK turned his attention to them and said, "You guys, see if anybody needs your help around here." Cody dared to protest, "TK, there's no need to-" But then Mimi took his arm and nodded to TK, "You're right. Come on, Cody, let's go."

As they parted ways with the others, Cody muttered to Mimi, "We don't have to take orders from them. Since when did they get so high and mighty?" Mimi muttered back, "You're right, that was uncalled for; but I'm in no mood to start a fight when we really might be needed." That was the end of their argument; Davis was then left alone with TK and Kari for the moment.

Now the children of Hope and Light had the Noble one right where they wanted him; they didn't know it, but they were playing right into the hands of Pridemon, who had filled their hearts with negativity ever since they had separated themselves from the group just less than a week ago. The plan was to single out Davis and put him in a position that he was never prepared to be in, and it was working perfectly.

TK and Kari moved in closer to him, and at first he didn't notice a change. But then TK asked him calmly, "So Davis, whatcha been up to?" The spiky-haired boy replied with a smile, "Well, me n' Ken got all tangled up in the desert with Gluttonymon, then Jun and me tangoed with Greedmon in the ocean."

Kari asked, "So you assisted in the destruction of two Power Spines?" Davis thought it over for a second, and then came to realization, "...Uh, s-sort of. 'Cause Ken got knocked out cold, we had to skip the desert one. Then Jun got her crest and she took out Greedmon's tower." "So," TK said with folded arms, "that means you didn't do anything."

Davis frowned in reaction, "No! I did do a couple things." "Like?" requested Kari. Davis then brushed back his wild hair and defended himself by saying, "Well... I, uh, trained Jun and Penguinmon a little bit. I met up with another digimon, and he helped us escape Greedmon's lair... uhh... Veemon digivolved to Paildramon a few times!"

"Well yeah," TK grinned, "he's a digimon; they're supposed to do that." "And," added Kari matter-of-factly, "he was the one doing all the real work, fighting off the Sin Digimon. Am I right?" Davis made a disgruntled face, "Well... What was I supposed to do? Even if I had battle gear-"

"Which you don't," TK sharply stated.

"I would if I had my full Crest!"

"Which you don't have either," Kari informed.

"Well anyway," Davis tried to make his point, "I'm just a human being; I can't take on a Sin Digimon! That'd be suicide."

"Well, they're only a couple Mega digimon," reminded TK. "And," bragged Kari monotonously, as if it were no big deal, "we took on a Mega digimon all by ourselves." "Wha?" blinked Davis. "In the Dark Ocean world," nodded TK.

Davis was impressed greatly with them and smiled, "Wow! That's great, you guys!"

"And," added Kari, "our digimon evolved to their Mega forms."

"It's just too bad Veemon can't do that," commented TK.

"I guess he would if you had your full crest."

"Which you don't."

"I know! I KNOW I DON'T!" hollered Davis in frustration.

"...But why is that?" wondered Kari as she began to pace around Davis, scratching her chin. TK scratched his own chin nearby as he replied, "Maybe it's because he's just not ready for it yet."

"Well gee," replied Kari coldly, "You'd think he'd be ready by now, right when the Keepers need him the most, you think?" TK answered her nonchalantly, "He should be ready; I know the rest of us are."

"Well, the rest of us are all mature adults anyway. Davis is... eh..."

"I know. But it's not like he cares."

"Uh, hello!" Davis snapped, "I'm right here!!"

"Not like any of us are about him," muttered Kari, whose voice was loud and clear.

"Not many of us even notice him."

"HEY! GUYS!!"

TK and Kari then looked over to their agitated friend; "...Oh, Davis," TK monotonously replied, "I didn't even know you were there." "I've... BEEN HERE!" answered Davis as he threw down his arms in a desperate act of attention.

This conversation was becoming intolerable to the now disheartened Davis; he barked, "And what the hell is wrong with you two? Barking out orders to Cody and Mimi, and now you're picking on me like a bunch of bullies?? What gives!? I thought you guys were cool; I thought you were better than that. I mean, where's all this animosity coming from?"

"Animosity," chuckled a rude Kari; she then turned to TK and smiled, "I bet he can't even spell that."

"And you're doing it again!" Davis growled; "You're acting like I'm not here!"

TK seemed to roll his eyes as he sighed deeply, "...Well, to tell you the truth Davis, we're not even sure just how you got here."

"...huh?" blinked the confused Child of Nobility.

Kari then looked him in the eye and said, "You see, Davis, TK and I have been Digi-Destined since we were very little. Back then, we've seen a lot of crazy things, but we've always been a force to be reckoned with." TK added, "All Digi-Destined are like that; they've got brains, strength and digimon partners that can defeat anyone."

Davis grew angry and argued, "But Imperial Dramon is my Mega digimon, and you've seen what he can do!"

"Imperial Dramon?" responded Kari; "You mean the fusion of Veemon and Wormmon?" TK then stated, "Even when you're called to duty, you have to rely on the help of someone else. You always needed Ken to be by your side so that Veemon could Jogress with Wormmon. And now that Wormmon can evolve to Ultimate and Mega on his own, there's just no more room for you anymore."

Davis let out a gasp in horror; with every bone-chilling comment they made, they scratched more and more at his heart. And now, hearing this coldest comment of all, he was truly devastated.

"...What... What's that supposed to mean?" he dared to ask. He braced himself for the answer, but it still came at him like a ton of bricks to his spirit when TK calmly replied, "Well, I think the reason why you can't earn your crest is finally clear: you're just not that important to us anymore."

Davis tried to deny what he was hearing and stuttered, "...No, wait. You can't... I-" "You don't understand?" Kari narrowed her eyes at Davis; she then moved in closer and added, "I was afraid of this, so I'll make it clear to you. You're like a carton of milk that's passed its expiration date. Your time's up. We don't need you anymore."

Up until then, Davis's eyes and hands were all trembling as he tried to keep his cool. But when those words, coming from that sweet and admirable voice, hit his ears, his motion had completely faltered. Kari might as well had pulled a gun on him and shot him in the head, because her words killed him.

"...Tell me you're kidding..." he muttered, still having a shadow of a doubt that they meant what they said; "You guys? Tell me you're not serious!"

Kari was still not herself, but she eased his pain slightly by replying, "Come on Davis, when did you ever take us seriously?"

Davis stepped back a little, confused at what she had said; it sounded to him like she was trying to soften the blows even more, but it didn't do much good.

TK didn't make the situation any easier when he suddenly cracked a smile, "Welp, I'm gonna help the others clean up the place. Take it easy, Davis." "Yeah," smiled the pleasantly wicked Kari, "nobody's gonna care either way...

"Oh." she paused.

Just as she passed him by, she took one last glance at him and said, "By the way, you can take those goggles off. Everyone knows you're not Tai." Then once she left his sight, Davis stood alone.

And for once in his whole life, he was beginning to feel alone.

Time had passed swiftly from morning to afternoon. Most of the team members had made space between each other, either to keep the peace or just to find a place to rest.

Some of those members had decided to find a more green and lush area of Gaiamon's jungle, and when they did, they had discovered it just a few miles away from Gaiamon herself. It was a sign that her power was slowly but surely regenerating.

As a few of the Rookies (including Veemon and Wormmon) took up their own version of soccer nearby, with a rolled up Armadillomon as the ball, Davis felt the need to take refuge under a giant olive tree. The tree was one of many that were regaining their former glory; already it was sprouting leaves. There, under its cool and peaceful shade, he sat up against the trunk and let out a small but noticeable sigh.

Once he heard these calm words, "Something on your mind?" he realized that he had inadvertently taken up the same relaxing spot as his friend, Ken.

Davis glanced to his left, and sure enough there was his best friend sitting up against the trunk of the very same tree, looking back at him with a concerned look in his eyes. Davis nearly jumped in surprise, but then he smiled sheepishly, "Oh! Hey… Uh, why? Does it look like I do?" Ken smiled back, "Well, you're obviously thinking about something; your face is easier to read than a kindergarten spelling book."

"Oh, ha-ha," Davis replied in blatant sarcasm.

He then curled his hands behind his head and turned his face all the way up to the tree's branches and replied, "…Actually, I am thinking about something. It's Kari and TK; ever since they got here, they've been acting really weird…"

"Like, how?"

"…Well, you know how they'd tease me about being so stubborn and kinda dumb, but they don't really mean it?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, this time… it feels like they do mean it."

Ken dropped his jaw in surprise; "Get out of here," he responded with concern.

Davis's eyes then wandered back to where they wanted to be, staring straight at the empty void in the Battle Crest that hung miserably around his neck.

He sighed softly, "That's not the only problem… I wish I had my Crest of Nobility. I'm starting to feel like I'm worthless without it. I mean, it's been too long, man! If I don't get it soon-"

"Hey," Ken blinked, "don't talk like that. You know you're one of the strongest members of the team; I've seen you take on monsters you had no business of taking on.

"And you were the only one of us who passed MaloMyotismon's final test, remember? I remember it clearly; the whole team was taken in by illusions that showed us all our problems and issues we were most worried about. But not you; you held your own and got the rest of us outta that state."

Davis tried to remember, but it felt so long ago; he just sighed, "I know… I remember. The only reason why I passed that test was because I was the only one who had nothing to worry about… But now I do."

Suddenly, his buddy came up with the solution, "You know what I think?" "What?" blinked Davis; Ken replied, "I think you're thinking about it too much; that's why you haven't earned the third piece yet. What was the clue Polarimon gave you?"

"The Noble One puts himself last."

"Right."

"Well, how can I NOT think about it?? I went through enough tests already, didn't I? I saved you from being killed by Daemon, I helped Jun get _her_ crest, and all the while I'm thinking, 'This is it! This is the moment I've been waiting for, ever since I found out what my Crest was,' and… And…"

Davis fell silent, which was a rare event; even Ken looked a little surprised. But now Davis had finally come to realize what was holding him back all along; "…I really am thinking about it too much… Aw, man. I'm never gonna get it."

He palmed his face in shame, but his buddy moved in a little closer and said, "Look, just relax dude. Things have been really rough around here, and right now everybody's on edge. So don't you feel sorry for yourself or anything, 'cause we need you right now. …Look, I know it's frustrating, but you'll get your Crest when you're ready for it. Okay?"

While he was saying all of this, Veemon and Wormmon nearby paused from their little game of soccer to hear Davis and Ken conversing, and before long they dropped the "ball" and hurried over to the side of their human partners.

At this point, Davis was looking depressed as his head hung like a dead man's toward the ground. As the little digimon came over, he asked Ken, "D'you know why I was so excited when I found out what my crest is?"

Ken guessed, "…Because you finally had one all to yourself?"

"No," Davis shook his head, "it's because of Tai… Tai's a noble guy, right?" "He's the leader, technically," replied his buddy.

Davis explained with a nod, "That's right. I always looked up to Tai, 'cause he's brave and tough and like the one guy everybody follows, no matter what. I wanna be like that; I wanna take charge for once and show people how brave and strong I am…"

"There's schomething else!" Veemon suddenly interrupted; curious, Ken blinked, "What? What else?" "No, Veemon!" Davis warned; "Don't say it!" Veemon elbowed his partner and smiled, "It's okay, Davish; you can tell him!" "Tell me what?" Ken blinked again, getting all the more curious. "No!" Davis hollered; "I'm not gonna say it. Ever!"

Then Ken tried to chide him, "Oh, what? You'll tell your digimon partner but not me? I thought we were best friends; I thought we were really close! Boy, I guess I don't qualify in your little clique after-"

That did it; Davis grew impatient and growled, "Alright, ALRIGHT! I'll say it!…" and then he shook his pointer finger at Ken and warned, "But you better not tell anybody, not even Yolei! You promise?" "My lips are sealed," Ken promised. "Fine…" Davis muttered.

Still a bit shy about what he was about to say, he took his time in saying it, and very softly, "…The only reason… why I ever liked Kari…"

"…….Yes?"

"…Was because…"

"Yes??" This was Ken, Wormmon and Veemon altogether.

Davis hurried his sentence, "Because she's Tai's sister, and I thought if I can get closer to her, I could get closer to him." Then he cringed; he just _knew_ that was going to come out all wrong!

There was a moment of silence, and then Ken replied with, "…eh… eh-heh-heh… Heheheheh! ….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" His buddy then grabbed his hair and roared, "Aa-AAH! I KNEW you were gonna take that the wrong way!"

He knew it didn't mean what it sounded, but still Ken teased, "And all this time, I thought you only wanted his goggles! HAAAA- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Wormmon and Veemon then joined in on the laughter, making Davis turn red with embarrassment.

But then soon enough, the laughter came to a halt as soon as Tai himself walked into the scene with, "What's going on?"

The trio of laughing hyenas then turned back to Ken, Wormmon and Veemon; their ringleader simply gave him a stone-cold face and replied, "Nothing. We're just talking…" "Okay," nodded a clueless Tai, and he went on his way. Relieved, Davis made a deep sigh.

Ken then looked back at Davis with a warm smile and said, "Relax, bro; I think I know what you were trying to say. You don't wanna be near Tai, you wanna _be_ Tai." "Yes," Davis nodded solemnly, "that's it. That's what I always wanted."

Ken then smiled again, "Don't you think it'd just be easier to be yourself?" His spiky-haired buddy just gave him a look and frowned, "…That's just it, bro… I'm not really sure who I am."

"Well I do," replied his so-called bro; "You're the guy that became the first to receive a Digi-Mental. You're the first to get two, actually. In fact, later on you even got a third one, being the only one to ever use the Digi-Mental of Miracles. You're also the kid that first welcomed me into the group just days after I broke out of Millenniumon's spell, and you and I were the first to have our digimon Jogress."

He would have gone on, but Davis stopped him by saying, "I know. I know all that, dude. But is all of that really supposed to show that I'm noble?" Ken just narrowed an eye to him, "You didn't let me finish."

Davis's mouth dropped as he muttered, "Oh… Is there more?" His best friend just turned to the earth and shrugged, "Yes there's more, but I'll let you figure it out for yourself."

"…But what if I can't?" Davis frowned in despair.

Then Veemon had the answer, "Hey Davish? Maybe we shouldn't sit around here and wait for the crest to come to us. Maybe we should just go out there and find the last Power Shpine." Davis looked to his little partner and blinked, "Huh?"

The little blue dragon replied, "Everybody's talking about it; it's the one Shpine they couldn't find. But if we could find it, we'll prove the others wrong about being useless." Davis frowned again, "But Veemon, I need my whole crest to shut it down. Ken, talk to him! Tell him I can't do this on my own."

"…I think you're wrong, Davis."

"WHAT?"

Ken turned his face away from Davis just to let his thoughts all sink in; he explained solemnly, "I think Veemon has a point here; you're letting what TK and Kari said about you being worthless get to you. And I know you're not worthless at all, and if finding Wrathmon's Power Spine will prove that, then… you should go for it."

Davis couldn't believe his ears; was his best buddy actually telling him to march straight to his death? He balled a fist and huffed, "You guys are crazy! Dude, I'm not doing this alone; I want you to come with me." Ken answered, "You won't be alone," and with that he glanced down at Veemon.

Davis followed him, and looked straight into the gentle red eyes of his partner. There was a glow in them that he had seen before, the same glow of determination he always had right before he was sent into action.

The little dragon smiled back at him, giving him a nod of confidence. Davis got a little emotional for a moment, but then he got a hold of himself and asked Veemon, "Are you sure you wanna do this?" Veemon replied, "We can do anything, Davish! I believe in usch."

Ken and Wormmon both smiled at them warmly, and Davis noticed it, which gave him a slight boost in confidence. He then said, "Well… if you guys think I can do it, then I'll do it."

"That's the spirit," Wormmon finally spoke; "Yeah," agreed his partner. It was settled then; Davis and Veemon were to travel on their own into uncharted territory in hopes to find Wrathmon's Power Spine.

Davis picked himself up and made a stretch to relax his legs. Then, as he took his first steps on his new journey, he walked up to his best friend and gave him a soft handshake; Ken muttered to him, "Just be careful out there, alright?" Davis replied with, "Hey, thanks for believing in me. I needed that." "No prob, bro," was Ken's answer.

The last thing he said was to Veemon; "Take care of yourselves." Veemon gave him a nod and a thumb's up, "You bet."

Perhaps they were too confident in themselves at that moment, for no one among the four of them dared to say goodbye. They must have felt in their hearts that "Goodbye" was an inappropriate word to say, for Davis and Veemon would return from their quest soon enough. So silently, Wormmon and Ken watched as their best friends went off into the distance.

When Davis and Veemon were no longer visible, disappeared into the trees ahead, Wormmon looked over to Ken and asked, "You and Davis really are close, aren't you?" Ken kept his eye in the direction in which Davis and Veemon had disappeared in, but then he looked back at Wormmon and smiled, "…To me, it's like my brother never died." Wormmon understood then why Davis and Ken called each other "bro," and nodded with a hum.

Shortly afterwards, who would show up in the scene but TK and Kari? They must have noticed Davis and Veemon leaving, which is why they approached Ken and Wormmon.

Looking in the direction in which Davis and Veemon had left, Kari asked Ken, "Where are those two going in such a hurry? Don't they know we have a crisis on our hands?" The young man with his back against the olive tree didn't look them in the eye; instead he glanced downward with closed eyes and replied, "They've gone off to find Wrathmon's Power Spine." "All by themselves?" TK replied; "That's crazy."

Ken remained motionless and said, "I think it's important that they do this; I'm hoping it'll help them earn the Crest of Nobility. I'm sure that the next time we see Davis, he'll have his full crest finally."

Then it happened; Ken finally got his chance to hear what Davis was hearing all along: TK replied very darkly, "Oh. Well then, I guess it's safe to say we'll never see him again."

"Hyeah, right," Kari replied just as darkly; "I'm sure he'll find the Power Spine… I'm just not sure if he could knock it down." "Maybe if he uses that hard head of his," teased TK; Kari then replied, "Oh don't count on that, TK; as hard as his head is, you know it's all hollow in there."

The two of them, in their state of growing negativity, started to giggle at their harsh jokes. This made Ken's skin crawl, and forced him to glance up at them with a stern look, as if he were offended. In fact, he really was offended; he now understood what Davis meant when he said how cold they had become.

And it didn't stop there; TK added, I'll bet the only reason why he's running away is because he finally admits that he's not fit to be one of us." Kari agreed, "Yeah. It's about time he let the real professionals take over, instead of being a Tai wannabe."

Ken had enough at last; he flew to his feet and snapped at them, "Alright, that's enough! You two have no right to talk about Davis like that, especially not behind his back."

TK narrowed his eyes at him sharply, "Who asked you? What we say is our business." Ken faced off against him and replied, "When you insult one of my best friends, you make it my business." TK just hit him back with, "Go back to sleeping under a tree; that's all you're good for anymore."

Before Ken could stand up for himself, Wormmon quickly jumped in front of him like an instant shield and barked at TK, "Hey! What's the matter with you two; can't you hear what you're saying? We're your friends." TK gave the little caterpillar a sharp glare and hissed, "Stay out of this, you little maggot."

That did it; one could say all they wanted to about Ken, even to his face, but once they started offending his digimon, they dug their own grave. "MAGGOT?" Ken roared furiously; he then grabbed TK by the collar with one hand and shook a fist with the other, growling, "That's it, TK; now you've gone too far!"

Just as Ken raised his balled fist in position to punch TK in the face, Mimi came out of nowhere and yelled, "Stop it, both of you!" Alarmed, Ken, TK and Kari glanced at Mimi, who was obviously shaken by everything that's been happening that day. She frowned, "We shouldn't be fighting each other; we've got enough problems as it is."

"But he started it!" ratted TK and Ken at the same time, like feuding siblings.

Mimi just shook her head, "There's no point to this; just leave each other alone." Being more in character than his would-be rival, Ken sighed and released TK. He then turned around, picked Wormmon up in his arms, and said to TK and Kari sternly, "You know, Davis was right about you two. You're not yourselves at all…"

He then started to walk off; Mimi blinked, "Wait. Where're you going?" Without looking back to her, he replied, "Somewhere where I don't have to put up with their nonsense." And with that, Ken and Wormmon left.

Veedramon Zero seemed to have healed overnight, thanks to a good night's sleep. He spent his early afternoon staring from a cliff at the horizon that met with the vast ocean on a shoreline of File Island. After giving it much thought, he realized that his heart was calling out to the world he seemed to have left behind.

Being washed up on the island was a mere setback; he had to return to the main continent of the digital world, where the humans were.

But something was eating at his spirit; he knew that his former human partner, Taichi Yagami, was all grown up now and he had himself a new digimon partner, Agumon. Zero took this as a sign that his dear friend had forgotten all about him, and that tore him apart.

But he knew that even if that were true, he couldn't just stand by and sulk about it. Action and adventure were calling to him, and he couldn't ignore the call any longer.

He stared blankly at the unknown ahead of him, and as he did so he started to think aloud, "Maybe Leomon was right. Maybe the reason why I feel so empty inside is because I don't know my place in life yet… But there's one place I wanna be more than any other…"

He paused his thoughts, clutching his fist in despair. "Aw, Taichi," he muttered as he bowed his head, "if only I had the guts to meet up with you before; maybe you do remember me… But even if you don't," he added as he raised his head back to the horizon, "I gotta prove myself. I gotta know for sure if you and I are meant to be partners again. 'Cause if I don't figure it out… then I'll never find peace within myself."

It was then decided by the aged Veedramon that he would put his fears aside and resume his journey to find his dear friend Taichi. He turned around and headed for a beach where he knew a boat would be waiting for him, to take him off that peaceful island and back on the road to adventure.

It was then decided by the spiritually lost Davis that he would put his insecurities aside and begin on his journey to self-discovery, but first he had to share a moment with his dear friend and mentor, Tai.

He found the older Digi-Destined by the small brook near Gaiamon, and he wasn't alone; Agumon, Izzy and Tentomon were in the scene as well.

The Bearer of Knowledge had grown curious about the yellow topaz heart of Gluttonymon, and noticed that it had vein-like black lines running through and around it. To ease his curiosity, he had hooked up a wire from his computer laptop to one of the heart's holes, as if it were a video game cartridge or the like. Once it was hooked up to his computer, Izzy typed away at his computer to see just what kind of program he could unlock inside it. So far, all he got was a full screen of blue binary codes- a dead end.

Davis bravely stepped forward as soon as he saw Tai and said, "You guys, this is gonna be hard... but I gotta go away for a little while."

Stunned, Tai replied with a frown, "Davis! What's wrong?" "Nothing's wrong," answered Davis in a mellow tone; "I'm just sick and tired of waiting for my crest to come to me; I gotta go to it instead."

The nearby Izzy questioned, "Do you know where you're gonna find it, Davis?" The younger human shook his head, "No... But the more I think about it, the more I can sense it. It's kinda weird... and cool. Anyway, I just wanted you guys to know that I'll be leaving. And, I dunno when I'm gonna come back."

Tai was the more concerned member of the group, but as he looked deeply at the look in Davis's eyes, he could see that his friend knew what he was doing. Tai then said, "Okay, Davis; just be careful."

Davis then did the one thing no one, not even himself, expected him to do. He moved closer to Tai until he was face to face with the taller Digi-Destined and blurted out, "There's just one more thing I gotta do before I go..."

Tai blinked in confusion, as Davis suddenly reached for the goggles that were crowned on his head all this time, and had proceeded to take them off. Everyone, even Izzy, gasped at this gesture; it would seem that Davis had those goggles longer than Tai ever did.

"Davis..." muttered Tai, as he was then handed the familiar pair of goggles; Davis replied, "Here... I have to give these back to you, Tai; I feel like I don't need them anymore."

Tai tried to crack a smile as he gently argued, "But Davis, I gave those to you as a gift." Davis then smiled, "I know, but I only wore them 'cause I wanted to be like you. ...But now I just gotta try to be myself, so... I feel like I don't deserve these anymore. ...Take 'em, Tai."

As he glanced at them in Davis's hand, Tai looked as though he were reluctant in accepting back his old pair of soccer goggles. Then he felt as though he had no choice, and made the transfer as nonchalantly as he could. "Thanks, Davis," he smiled.

Davis huffed, "Heh... It's me who should be thanking you..." Perhaps the moment was too touching for Davis to handle, because he then added, "Eh well, this is getting a little awkward. I should go now." "Okay," nodded his mentor.

Davis then turned around to face an already set to go Veemon; "Well, Vee," he said to his digimon, "this is it." "It sure is," smiled his excited partner.

Davis then looked back one last time at Tai, Izzy and their digimon and waved, "Bye, you guys." "Good luck, Davis," Tai waved back; Izzy and the others waved as well with their own goodbyes. After that, their young duo of friends and protégés set off on their way to unknown parts.

(Begin original song "Drifting Away," which is greatly inspired by 3 Door's Down's "Here Without You." (Author's Note: This song came to me in a dream, which is the reason why I'm sticking to it, though I can imagine 3 Doors Down performing it.))

Tai couldn't take his eyes off of the road on which Davis and Veemon set foot, giving Izzy plenty of time to walk up to him from behind. The red-head then glanced at the same road and wondered aloud, "You think they're gonna be okay?" Tai replied without flinching, "I hope so, Izzy... Those guys've come a long way; maybe we worry about them too much."

Izzy then crossed his arms, "You can never worry too much about your friends." Tai made a soft sigh; like always, Izzy was right, and he knew it.

(Song continues)

_For the longest time, I've felt there's been a missing part of me_

_I don't know where I can find it, but it's where I gotta be_

_I'd hate to say goodbye, but I just can't stay here_

_I'd love to tell you why so you don't waste your tears_

The journey of a thousand miles (or more) began with a vast meadow, blanketed by grass tall enough to be wheat stems. The mid-day sun mixed with clouds painted them in a warm tone of greenish-yellow, and the wind brushed through them, making ocean-like ripples in the process.

The meadow had a few tall hills, and it was on atop one of these hills that Davis and Veemon took a quick pause from their trek, not just to scope the land but also to look back at what was left of Gaiamon's jungle. They were now a few miles from it, and seeing it so far away was almost depressing in Davis's eyes. Still, he forced himself to turn ahead and move forward.

In the farthest distance, they could see a temperate forest complete with a mountain range.

Meanwhile…

The sea was on Veedramon Zero's side that day; the tide had just come in to pick up his little sailboat and carry it into the open sea. The wind was also on his side, blowing in the direction away from File Island.

As he was carried gently away by the elements, Zero had time to turn back and wave goodbye to the friend he had just made while on the island. Leomon, in turn, waved back with a smile as if he was proud of his new friend.

_I'm drifting away, setting with the sun_

_Like a rolling river, I'm always on the run_

_I'm like the day, always moving on_

_In just one direction_

In time, Zero found himself surrounded by the ocean without the smallest indication of dry land in sight. It was like this for almost three hours, and it was quickly becoming an annoyance to the old Veedramon.

But his hope to speed up his trip became possible as soon as he came across a group of aptly named dolphin-like digimon called Dolphmon. In no time, he had undone his sail and used its rope to lasso in three of these Dolphmon, and used them as his steeds of the ocean to take him and his small raft on a jet ski-like ride for the rest of the cruise.

Meanwhile…

Davis and Veemon's journey was at one point cut short, but only because they had to move across multiple islands that gathered near a shoreline. Davis's partner felt it would be easier, and much more fun, if he and Davis made hops, skips and jumps across the islands in the form of Paildramon... and he was right. It was fun.

_Looking left and right, my instincts are what's showing me the way_

_I can feel it getting closer, but I feel so far away_

_I left you all behind, but I won't soon forget_

_I keep you close in mind so don't you mourn me yet_

Still within the southern region of the digital world, where jungles and beaches were abundant, the traveling heroes found themselves at crossroads on a beach. Davis and Veemon stood on one side of the winding roads, while Veedramon Zero stood on the other.

Neither traveling team noticed each other as they made their decisions as to which direction they were to move in, because their attention was drawn elsewhere (plus they were blocked off from each other by palm trees). When their decisions were made, they had inadvertently crossed paths with each other.

Later, Davis and Veemon had come across an open field that could have gone on forever in a Serengeti-like plain. In this field, a group of Centarumon were galloping across the field in the manner of wild stallions. The traveling heroes caught up with them, and perhaps in combination of their curiosity and lust for adventure, the two of them hopped onto one of the Centarumon and joined in the joyful stampede.

_I'm drifting away, setting with the sun_

_Like a rolling river, I'm always on the run_

_The wind's in my face; with it I'll be gone_

_I'd beg you to come with me, but I'm better off alone_

_My heart's moving on, worn away with time_

_Gotta keep on going 'till I get what is mine_

_I'm like the day, always moving on_

_In the same direction_

Just when he thought his water-logged days were over, Veedramon Zero found himself carefully walking across a tree log that acted as a bridge over a rampant river, in parts unknown. He was doing just fine, until his weight finally gave way and split the old log in fractions. He, along with these fragments, went tumbling into the river.

Fortunately, Zero was a quick thinker and very resourceful; used a strong log fraction as a surfboard while he went white-water rafting down the wild river. Even as he met with a waterfall, one nearly three stories high, he was in high spirits and took the dive like an Olympian.

_Don't miss me much, 'cause I'll be back_

_And I will tell you all the things I've done while I'm away_

_'Cause in my heart, my place is here_

_No matter where I'm going, this is where I wanna stay_

_But I'm..._

Davis and Veemon had their own watery ride as well; they dove into the lake of a great cave in another uncharted region of the wilderness. It was rather bright underwater, for on the surface (which the two adventurers met with soon enough) the cave had enough openings on its rooftop to let in a strong amount of moonlight. The cave's interior made it easier for the moonlight to light up the scene, because as it turned out the cave was made also of crystal, not just plain rock.

Such a pleasant scene would not be shared by Davis and Veemon alone; plenty of tropical fish were in the lake, also indulging in the sparkly scenery.

Later that same evening, Davis and Veemon took refuge on top of this same cave, where there was more than enough support beneath them to make sure they wouldn't fall back into the lake. There, they made a small campfire and cooked up some fish as dinner, underneath millions of stars.

At one point, Davis was lucky enough to gaze up at the sky, perhaps to wish on a star or spend a moment at peace with himself, just when a shooting star passed through the stratosphere.

_Drifting away, setting with the sun_

_Like a rolling river, I'm always on the run_

_The wind's in my face, and with it I'll be gone_

_I'd beg you to come with me, but I'm better off alone_

_My heart's moving on, worn away with time_

_Gotta keep on going 'till I get what is mine_

_I'm like the day, always moving on_

_In the same direction_

Another day had passed by, and Veedramon Zero was still on his journey. He had come across a grassy field early that morning, and discovered early on that this field was infested with... butterflies. Yes, butterflies; many different colored ones, in fact.

The great warrior was much more used to dealing with scarier creatures, and as he ran through the field, he tried to take his eyes off of the fluttering beauties.

But he could only do so for so long; eventually he had to stop to catch his breath, when one tiny butterfly rested on his horned snout. Alarmed, he was tempted to shoo it away, but seeing the peaceful critter made his intensity die down fast.

Before he knew it, the aged Champion found himself lying on his back, resting from the trip at last, while watching the sky being flooded with rainbow butterflies. For once in quite a while, he felt at peace with himself.

Late that evening…

They had come to a wall-like rocky mountain that stood in their way. It was a mountain that went on for miles like the Great Wall of China, and was as brown and barren as those rock formations in the deserts of the United States' badlands. Indeed, the entire land around them was desert-like.

Davis could have easily hopped onto the back of his high-leveled digimon partner and take a flying leap over the mountain, but he saw no fun in that. So instead, he and Veemon scaled it like spiders, very slowly and carefully.

Veemon was the faster of the two, and he was already atop the wall by the time Davis could see it in his sights. The young man was nearly blown back by a chilling wind, but his grip was set firmly on the rocks. By the time he did at last lose his grip, Veemon was close enough to reach out and grab his friend's hand just in time.

The little dragon then happily gave Davis the boost he needed to join him on the rooftop of the reddish-brown mountain. When at last they turned to face the road ahead, they paused in awe to see that the region in which they entered was anything but friendly...

_I'm like the day; soon I'll be gone_

_Drifting away_

_Mmm, mmm… (Humming ending melody)_

(Song ends)

"Damn..." Davis muttered; his next words fit the description of this new land perfectly: "It's like we just stepped into Modoor in _Lord of The Rings_!" He said that, because the wasteland into which they had ventured was home to the blackest sky they had ever seen.

It wasn't actually the sky; it was a storm cloud that seemed to have gone on forever, and it sported spontaneous lightning bolts that were strong enough to pierce the surface of the bone-dry earth.

There were other wall-like mountains in the far distance; they made up the edges of this dark and unpleasant valley, but the ones that would wall in the entire land were so far off, they couldn't be seen. There was no plant life in sight; not even dried up tree logs or tumbleweeds; this gave Davis chills, for he was then convinced that he and Veemon truly have discovered the valley of the shadow of death.

Veemon seemed to have missed Davis's comment, but he could see for himself just how forbidding this desert-like valley was. But the little blue dragon was still in high spirits, even then; eh glanced at his human partner and said, "Well, we made it this far. No usche going back now, huh?" Davis looked back at him and replied, "You're right, Veemon."

The young man then took a deep breath and looked at the road ahead; as he did so, he clutched his fists as though he were having second thoughts about this quest. But he wasn't; inside of him, his heart started pounding with enthusiasm. He then let out his breath with a sigh, "It's now or never... Time to see if I really am The Noble One."

He wanted more than that, of course; he was still being haunted by what TK and Kari had said a few days earlier, and now as he felt the vibe of something evil in the air, he wanted to prove himself as a worthy Digi-Destined. He then took his first steps down the mountain, with Veemon skidding down the steep mountain behind him.

Yolei's patience was running thin, as she, Cody, Mimi and their digimon partners all gathered around Izzy to see if he could break the binary code that shielded what he hoped to be the purpose behind the heart of the fallen Sin Digimon.

As before, Gluttonymon's heart lay beside Izzy's computer laptop, hooked up to it like any computer hardware system, while Izzy waited and waited for the binary code that filled his computer screen to hatch.

"Did you get anything yet?" Yolei asked as she started to tap her foot. Izzy frowned, "No, Yolei. This heart's a lot more complex than it looks; I'm trying to figure out what it's meant to do and how it helps the Sin Digimon, but so far all I got is this binary code. It's as if Gluttonymon's data is being protected by a barrier; either that, or his data is so ancient, my computer just can't decipher it."

"Can you at least decipher the binary code?" asked Cody as he sat up on his knees nearby. Izzy replied with a humble smile, "Sorry, Cody; I may be smart, but I'm no rocket scientist... Hold on."

He had finally discovered a drastic change in the binary code; it was morphing from ones and zeroes to simplistic symbolism. "What is it?" responded Mimi to Izzy's last remark.

Izzy pointed out, "I'm starting to recognize this now... Over the years, I've been able to crack the ancient codes of the digital world and put them in my computer as a font; now my computer's finally breaking down the system, and it's starting to look like digi-world data."

The nearby Tentomon then joked, "Gee Izzy, when I said you need to get out more, I didn't mean get out and memorize the ancient digi-language!" Izzy just giggled.

But the mood was soon turned serious, as Izzy's jaw slowly started to gape open. "Ahh," he murmured; Mimi wondered, "Is that a good 'Ahh,' or a bad 'Ahh?'" Izzy turned to his friends and informed them, "I think I figured it out; this heart is actually Gluttonymon's hard drive. Think of it as a very advanced computer chip; it's what gave him life in the first place."

Yolei blinked, "You mean the Sin Digimon all have these hearts?" "I'd say so," Izzy replied.

"It's probable that these were the first digimon that the Keeper of Darkness had ever created, and he used a specific kind of program to do so. But when he finally broke into the digital world that the other Keepers were creating, he found out just how to give digimon life without the need of a hardware program.

"That explains why all his other minions dissolve into data; when the Sins are destroyed, all that's left are these hearts."

Young Cody leaned back in his seat and sighed, "Oh... So, do you think we could use these hearts to our advantage?"

Izzy scratched his chin, "Well, there's probably enough data stored inside it to help Gluttonymon be reborn. But this is something I've never seen before, and I don't know how it works. I think it's best to just keep it to ourselves before Daemon comes to reclaim it, 'cause if he does-"

"Then Gluttonymon can come back," concluded Yolei.

For the first time in hours, Izzy moved away from his computer laptop to stretch his legs. As he did so, he yawned softly, "...Well, I'm gonna take a quick break. Could you guys watch over this thing while I go grab a bite?"

"Uh, okay," replied Yolei; "But what're we supposed to do with it?" Izzy, with tiring eyes, answered, "Just let it sit there; I wanna download as much data as I can. Hopefully I'll be able to milk this heart dry, so that Gluttonymon can't reform himself." "Good plan," smiled Mimi.

It was a good plan indeed, but Izzy was having his doubts that it would work. Still, he and Tentomon left the group to go forage for food.

Mimi and Yolei both made themselves more comfortable on the new spring grass bed by the computer laptop. Mimi then made an honest yawn, "...I always admired Izzy for his brain, but every time he talks I feel like he's speaking another language." Yolei grinned, "I think he likes to talk that way to feel smarter.

"Anyway, maybe we should tell the others what's been going on... Hey, does anybody know where Tai and Matt went?"

Yolei had noticed that the two older Digi-Destined had turned up missing for some time; Cody solved her mystery by explaining, "They left to find Davis late last night. They were getting worried, because it's been a while since anybody's heard from him."

Yolei then frowned, "I'm sure he's okay; maybe he wants to be on his own." "He did seem kinda shaken when he left though," observed Mimi, as if she could understand the younger man's actions. "You think Tai an' Matt'll find him before he gets himself hurt?" Yolei wondered.

Cody answered wisely, "If I know Davis, then he'll only be in really big trouble if he calls for their help."

"...Somebody.... Anybody.... help."

Oh yes; Davis was now in serious trouble.

While traveling through the barren valley that he and Veemon came across on their aimless venture, they had found themselves facing head on a series of rivers made entirely of lava. This was puzzling, because there seemed to be no volcanoes around, and yet the entire field was soaked with volcanic magma.

On top of that, there were also a few scattered geysers, which erupted from the earth a stream of air hot enough to scorch a human. Davis stood at the edge of this perilous field as if helpless, but his little partner, Veemon, was right by his side.

The little dragon smiled, "Hey, this is no problem! I can just digivolve into ExVeemon and fly us through here!" Davis turned to the Rookie and balled his fists, "Well, what're you waiting for?"

So Veemon tried it: "VEEMON, DIGIVOLVE TO...……"

"...No one?" muttered a stunned Davis.

It was true; Veemon's ability to change into ExVeemon was denied.

The human and the digimon let out their gasps in unison, both equally stunned at the fact that Veemon couldn't digivolve. "What gives?" pouted Veemon; "I digivolved just yesh-terday!" Davis grew all the more concerned and frowned, "M-maybe this place has some kind o' barrier? Or maybe there's something in the air?"

"Shomething schtinks, alright," sniffed a suspicious Veemon; "like a dirty rat!"

"Try again," insisted Davis; Veemon obeyed by trying to tap into his inner strength, but it seemed hopeless. The little blue dragon remained as he was, and simply gave up after the second try.

His confidence had been shattered at this point, as he looked up to his human partner and frowned, "I can't do it, Davish... I feel drained." Davis patted his little buddy's head and replied solemnly, "It's okay, Vee..."

The Rookie glanced away for a minute to stare at the lava-painted field ahead of him in despair, but when he looked back at his human friend, he noticed that Davis was sporting a look of curiosity. Ken was right; Davis's face was as easy to read than a kindergarten book.

"What?" asked Veemon; Davis blinked, "Oh, uh... I was just wondering... Uh, it might be two years too late to ask, but-" "But what?" insisted Veemon. Davis literally swallowed his pride in a gulp, "What exactly does the 'V' in your name mean?"

Perhaps Davis felt silly in asking such a question at such a late time in their relationship, but the digimon was all too obliged to answer, "Victory!" Davis then couldn't help but let out a giggle; "Heh-heh-heh! I just thought it was a cute little design on your head," referring to the V-shaped yellow mark on the Rookie's forehead. Veemon just shook his head, "Nope. There'sh a lot more to me than meets the eye!"

"Indeed."

Neither the human nor the digimon had expected to hear the voice of another in the same, so it was doubly surprising for them to hear such a voice in a deep, inhuman manner.

There seemed to be no one in sight, so it came across to them as omniscient, until the sky suddenly began to part ways with the black clouds ahead. The sky was revealed to be blood-red, as fiery and violent as the scenery around the two heroes.

Then something else began to approach them ahead; a giant tornado. Only, this was no ordinary tornado; it was made entirely of fire. It spiraled its way across the wasteland, past the rivers of lava and wicked-hot geysers, until it appeared before the heroes from just ten feet away.

Awestruck, Davis stared at it and muttered, "...O-kay, that's out of the ordinary." Veemon stared at it as well, only he was so stunned to see it that he was speechless.

To settle their curiosity, the flaming twister started to take on a whole new shape; from within its funnel, a pair of black, skeletal arms and claws emerged, followed by a skeletal rib cage that enveloped the spiraling fire. The form was topped off by a bust and skull as black and bony as the rest of it; a hot-red glow, perhaps coming from the fire from within, beamed from the otherwise bare eye sockets.

The skull itself was monstrous; there were long fangs in its jaws, devilish spikes on its brow, and soon it would unleash a voice that seemed both male and female, indicating that this creature was genderless.

When it did speak, it said, "I am Wrathmon... Welcome to my home: the Valley of the Unwanted." As if trying to joke his way out of a state of fear, Davis gave off a smile, "...Oh, this is YOUR place? Ha! Heh-heh-heh! We musta took a wrong turn somewhere. Come on, Veemon; let's get outta-"

**WHOOSH!**

Davis's retreat was stopped by the forceful winds of a geyser that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as if on cue. The human then turned back to the skeletal beast that towered over him and Veemon ten times over. "You'll not be leaving so soon," growled the Sin; "Not without getting past me."

Davis couldn't help but wonder how that would be possible; the beast was a giant, and on top of that it had a burning tornado for a waist and legs. Veemon growled at the Sin, "I'd take you on, ugly, IF I could digivolve!" "Oh yes, that," purred the burning beast; "This valley is designed to disrupt the usual frequencies that allow digivolution to be possible. In other words, you're merely a victim of static."

"A static field?" Davis thought aloud; "That's not fair; this guy's already a Mega, and he's too chicken to put up a real fight!"

Wrathmon's invisible ears picked up his voice, and the Sin responded with, "It's not my fault; this valley is called Unwanted because it's meant to delete old and replaceable data. Think of it as your Recycling Bin on your computer; once data falls into these rivers, it never comes back."

Davis gulped, "...So... If Veemon and I fell in... We'd be...?" Veemon realized where this was going; if he were to fall into the lava, he would never get the chance to reform himself after being deleted. T

he little dragon became overwhelmed with shock and felt the need to grasp onto his partner's leg for comfort.

"Yes," hissed the skeletal Sin, "indulge in your despair, for you have come all this way just to be permanently deleted." But Davis doubted Wrathmon's words and challenged it by saying, "Hey! We came all this way to break down your Power Spine, pal!"

Wrathmon then moved to the right and replied, "You mean this?"

Davis and Veemon could see it in plain sight once Wrathmon moved away; the towering spire was just a few miles ahead, spewing as much core data as it could into the red-hot air. From where he stood, Davis could taste victory on the tip of his tongue as he gazed in wonder at the distant Power Spine.

Compelled with determination, he dared to take a step forward, when suddenly the earth below his feet became alive. In a violent rumble, the ground began to quake and split apart.

But it was coming apart for a reason; Wrathmon was tapping into the powers of this valley, causing it to change shape. Soon the ground that Davis and Veemon stood on rose high above the earth in the form of a tall pillar. This pillar then became a long and unstable-looking bridge over the flowing rivers of lava below. As the ground began to rise and morph, the rivers of molten lava began to flow into one massive crater, thus forming a lake of fire.

Taken by surprise, Davis nearly lost his footing while this was happening, but once the rumbling and quaking stopped he had come to realization that he and Veemon were now on what seemed to be a safe passage to the Power Spine.

Now that he felt safe from harm's way, Davis gave into his temptation to take a step forward on the earth-molded bridge. However, once he took the first step, the earth beneath his foot collapsed into the lava below.

Davis let out a gasp of fear as the nearby Sin growled, "Did you really think I was going to make it that easy?" The young man glanced up at the Sin and guessed, "This is a test, isn't it?" "Of course," replied Wrathmon softly with narrowed eye sockets.

"You are going to prove to me that you have faith in yourself. If you show the slightest sense of fear and doubt, the ground beneath your feet will crumble and fall into the lava pit. Eventually that bridge you're standing on will give way, causing you to fall to your doom. ...Oh, and in case you're thinking of running to the Power Spine, that would be considered cheating, and there's a penalty for that."

Davis dared to ask, "What's the penalty?"

In its response, Wrathmon raised a black claw to Veemon, magically ensnaring the little blue dragon in a bubble. "Hey!" gasped the Rookie; "Veemon!" gasped his partner. Wrathmon then lifted the bubble with its mental powers, making it hover right over the lava pit.

Then the Sin warned, "Your friend is not allowed to help you sail across this bridge. Furthermore, his life will now be in your hands, as well as your own. If you try to cheat your way across, I will send him into the lava where he will be obliterated."

Now Davis began to tremble with fear; he was in no way prepared for this kind of challenge, and he knew that he had much to lose as well as gain from this. He let out a gulp, which triggered the edges of the bridge to chip away.

"Davish!" came the voice of Veemon from within his bubbly cage; "Sh-tay cool, buddy; don't show any sh-igns of fear, or you'll fall!" _"He's right,"_ Davis thought to himself; _"...I just gotta stay cool. Stay focused. I can handle anything this freak throws at me..." _

While he was thinking things over, he couldn't help but start sweating.

Tai and Matt have been searching the digital world for almost as long as Davis had been gone; the difference here was that while Veemon had no option to digivolve to Mega, Agumon and Gabumon did. Therefore, Tai and Matt's partners had double the energy and speed to cross over from one region to another in their search for their friends.

While passing over an ocean at lightning speed, War Greymon and Metal Garurumon carried with them their human partners. Tai and Matt were using their digivices as compasses in hopes that they would pick up the signal of Davis's D-3.

"Are you getting any readings?" asked Tai in a loud voice to Matt; they had to speak loudly because they were racing against the wind. Matt hollered back, "No! I think we looked all over the place; I still can't pick up a signal!"

"Tai," replied War Greymon, "we're heading straight for the southernmost continent. You think they'll be down there?" "What is that continent?" wondered Tai; War Greymon answered, "I don't know; we've never been there before."

Tai then looked back to where Matt and Metal Garurumon were flying and called out, "Hey, Matt! Are you sure we covered the entire digital world when we went looking for the Power Spines?"

Matt couldn't hear him over the wind pressure and replied, "What??" Metal Garurumon, however, heard Tai and replied, "Yes! We went all over the place, except for the southernmost region!"

"What do you think, Tai?" War Greymon wondered; "Should we try it?"

Tai glared at his inactive digivice and replied, "Davis went looking for Wrathmon's Power Spine... If it's not down there, then we're all out of options. Okay! You guys, we're heading south!"

Matt misunderstood and asked loudly, "You need mouth-to-mouth??" "No," replied his digimon partner, "we're heading _south_!" "Oh!" sighed Matt with a sweat drop; "Whew; I got a little worried back there." With that, the team made like shooting stars toward the digital world's southern pole.

(Author's Note: I hope you Taito fans appreciated that, 'cause that's the LAST time you'll get a yaoi moment from me!)

Davis was doing very well within the first hour of his test, forced to walk carefully across a bridge that stood high over a pit of raging lava in a land where digimon dared not to tread, risking both his own life and the life of his digimon partner, Veemon.

The test was for Davis to cross over the bridge with a heart full of courage and confidence, or else his doubt would put weight on the unstable bridge, causing part of it to crumble and fall.

But with a head like a rock and a normally steady heart, the Digi-Destined was well on his way to pass this eerie test...

Until Wrathmon decided to kick things up a notch.

"Why won't anybody listen to me?" "What'd you say, Davish?" 

"Yah!" screamed Davis, as he had suddenly lost his footing on the bridge, due to the fact that he had suddenly encountered two familiar voices in his mind. In fact, they were the voices of himself and Veemon, from four years ago. The shadowy voices came without warning, and caused him to lose his balance for a moment.

When he righted himself, the young man balled his fists and screamed at Wrathmon, "HEY! What the hell was THAT?" The burning Sin crossed its arms; "Oh, don't you remember? I simply tapped into your memories and pulled out a moment of your past. It seems that even four years ago nobody listened to you. Why is that, 'Noble One?'"

Davis figured that Wrathmon was trying to shatter his confidence on purpose; as his arms started to shake, he growled, "Stop it! You're the one that's cheating at this game, not me!" "Yeah!" echoed Veemon, "Leave 'im alone!"

Wrathmon shook its ugly head, "If you don't like my new rule, you might as well surrender and go home."

But Davis couldn't leave; he was too close to reaching his goal, and was just too stubborn to let it go. So instead of listening to the Sin, he marched forward while wiping the sweat off his already soaked brow.

Then it happened again:

"You can take those goggles off now; everyone knows you're not Tai."

This was, of course, Kari's voice from just a few days ago. Her cold words were enough to shatter the ground beneath Davis's feet, and he was forced to make a sprint forward to stable ground.

Wrathmon noticed his gait and huffed, "Too fast."

To show that the Sin was serious about penalties, it mentally moved Veemon's prison bubble one foot closer to the lava pit. Davis was now safe from harm, but he noticed that Veemon was now merely ten feet away from the burning pit below. He gulped and pulled himself together, then moved on.

Slowly, he marched, putting one foot carefully in front of the other. He was only half a mile away from the Power Spine, when another voice was heard:

"You always seem to rely on someone else..."

TK's haunting voice didn't scare Davis, so Wrathmon decided to try again with a comment from Flamedramon- an evolution of Veemon from an earlier adventure:

"You don't know the meaning of friendship!" 

It was a comment aimed at Davis back then, and it was aimed at him again this time. Back then it was Flamedramon's way of coaxing Davis into using the Digi-Mental of Friendship, but now it felt like his old friend was jabbing at Davis's spirit coldly. That was enough to cause yet another rift in the bridge.

Davis avoided it by taking a jump forward, and as a result, Veemon's prison bubble was moved another foot closer to the lava pit. Veemon growled, "Rrr... I wish I could help him, but I feel scho useless-sh!" "You feel useless?" responded Wrathmon softly; "The insecurities you feel are nothing compared to your friend's."

"Oh, shuddup!" barked Davis, regaining his courage in a heartbeat. He was quickly beginning to learn how to ignore the voices that were launched into his head, even when they started to come at him like a thunderstorm.

Davis marched on, hearing but ignoring voices from Ken, Yolei, Tai, Matt, Cody, and any other Digi-Destined that may or may not have ripped at Davis's confidence at one time or another.

...But then, things got ugly.

"You think Davis is gonna come back anytime soon?" 

This was Ken's voice, and for once it didn't sound familiar. "What was that?" blinked Davis; Wrathmon explained, "My mental powers go far beyond the voices of the past, dear boy. What you are hearing now are the voices of your so-called friends in the present."

Davis made a soft gasp; he knew he shouldn't have listened to them, but curiosity coaxed him into listening intently to the voices that came next.

(Yolei) _"He said he'd come back as soon as he knocked down the last Power Spine."_

(Cody) _"In short, he's never coming back."_

(Ken) _"...Bah, that's a shame. He came so close to proving himself, too."_

(Tai) _"I know. I guess he just wasn't cut out to be a Digi-Destined after all."_

Thunder struck, as if that weren't enough to startle the young man on the rickety bridge. The earth beneath his left foot gave way, making him take a quick step forward before he lost his balance. "No..." muttered Davis to himself; "...This can't be real... Wrathmon's just tryin' to rattle me; I can't believe it."

(Matt) _"So, anybody wanna go look for him?"_

(Sora) _"Why waste our time? We've got a world to save!"_

Crack! 

Davis could feel the bridge giving way again beneath his feet...

(Kari) _"I tried to tell him. I tried... He's just... _

Rumble! 

"not...

Crackle! 

"useful anymore."

In one wild swoop, the bridge had split clean in half; the section ahead of Davis stayed in tact while everything behind him sailed into the fiery pit below. The young man was forced to take a flying leap forward and had just barely gotten a grip on the edge of the remaining side of the bridge.

For a moment, he dangled desperately on the cliff-like end of the bridge, while the lava below fed on the rocks that had splattered into the pit; while he was crawling to safety, it felt to Davis like he was crawling out of the pits of hell.

Davis was shaking all over when he did make it to safety, holding himself up on all four of his appendages to catch some air. Funny enough, the ground beneath him didn't give way like before; it seemed that Wrathmon was enjoying his situation.

Davis paused to re-energize his strength, when his ears picked up the sound of an approaching rocket. At least, it sounded like a rocket, and it caught the attention of everyone present.

Wrathmon's eyes flashed with rage once it realized where the sound was coming from: it was War Greymon and Metal Garurumon, piloted by two familiar Digi-Destined. They were coming like two bats out of hell, but as soon as they realized where they were headed they seemed to skid to a mid-air halt.

"Holy cow..." murmured Tai as he gazed in wonder at his surroundings; Matt blinked, "This is anything but holy..." They saw in plain sight that Davis was on the edge of what looked to them like a cliff over raging lava; "Davis!" gasped Tai in horror.

War Greymon almost took flight, but was stopped by Davis's cry, "NO! Don't come any closer; if you guys interfere, he'll kill Veemon!" The arrivals paused to oversee that Veemon was stuck in mid-air inside a bubble, which the massive beast Wrathmon had control of.

Wrathmon then turned to its victim of self doubt and purred, "You see how they rush to your rescue? They know you can't do anything alone." Davis looked lost in thought, which Tai picked up on almost instantly.

"Come on!" roared Matt; "We gotta help them!" "No," Tai commanded; "...We can't help them. Davis has to do this on his own..." Matt was beside himself when he heard this; "What?" he muttered.

Tai then proceeded to holler, "You can do it, Davis! We believe in you!" War Greymon joined in the cheer; "Yeah! Show this Sin what you're made of!" "We're all behind you, Davis!" called out Metal Garurumon.

Matt then understood what they were doing, and added to the cheers with, "You're the Noble One! Nothing gets by you, not even a little pool of lava!"

Their cheers continued, and Davis could hear them, but the young man was still very shaken by Wrathmon's torments from before. He was also being haunted by the chilling comments made by TK and Kari a few days before, and doubt was starting to show in his glossy eyes.

In reaction to this visible doubt, what was left of the bridge began to shatter like tree twigs.

"He's lost," whispered Wrathmon; "He knows that he cannot earn his Crest by putting his own troubles in front of his friends'. Noble One, indeed... Look at him. He can barely stand on his own two feet, and you think he can reach my Power Spine??"

The volume of the Sin's voice began to rise, allowing Davis's ears to catch it and listen clearly to what Wrathmon was saying. The Sin was hoping that its words would only make Davis all the more doubtful...

But instead, they were only making him angry.

To everyone's surprise, the young man rose to his feet carefully, and with a stone cold look on his face, he took a deep breath and said, "...I am the Noble One! I don't care if I earn my Crest or not anymore. The only thing I wanna do right now is take down your Power Spine, and then I wanna take down YOU!"

"You can't do that," argued the Sin; "Not without your Crest."

"I don't NEED my Crest!" Davis hollered; "All I need are my friends, and Veemon!" Davis paused for a second, realizing what he had said.

All at once, he felt like a different person; was it because he was just at wits end, or was it because he was pushed to his limits? Perhaps that would remain uncertain, but there he was, yelling bravely and furiously at this Sin that had taunted him so badly.

Wrathmon hissed, "You won't have Veemon anymore." Davis's eyes bulged; he knew what the Sin was saying. Instead of further taunting the human, it would instead get right to the point and dispose of the human's digimon. And now that Veemon was helplessly in the hands of this wretched creature, Wrathmon had the power to do just that.

With a blink of its eye-less face, the Sin tapped into its mental powers once again, forcing the bubble in which Veemon was held prisoner to fall freely into the lava pit. Then, something happened that not even Wrathmon could see coming: As it bid its goodbye to Veemon, everyone else just stood there in utter shock...

But Davis, without a single thought of himself in his mind or heart, took one flying leap off the bridge- the one thing that kept him safe all this time- tossing himself toward the lava below, screaming, "NO-O-O-O-O-O!"

Davis's mind went black after that... But in this moment, he had himself a vision. He could see the three different fragments of his new Crest filling the missing voids before his eyes, and he could hear the Keepers say:

Gaiamon "The Noble One thinks with his heart."

Oceanamon "The Noble One could win a fight without violence."

Polarimon "The Noble One puts himself last..."

SHING!!! 

The next thing everyone saw was a beam of blue and white light coming from the spot in which Davis and Veemon were last seen. This light turned out to be a brand new digital field. It had effected everyone around it; War Greymon and Metal Garurumon were de-digivolved back into their Rookie forms, while Wrathmon was paralyzed temporarily. As for Davis and Veemon... they had finally earned what they have been longing for.

(Begin song "Holding Out For A Hero," by Jennifer Saunders from "Shrek 2." I'm being very specific about this song's version; and plus, if you haven't heard it by now, feel free to kick yourself, as it kicks major butt!)

_Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?_

_Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?_

The blinding blue and white ray of light that came from deep within the Valley of the Unwanted could be seen even in the stratosphere of the digital world.

This light was more than what it seemed, though; it was the power of two heroes breaking through the seal that once denied digimon to evolve within the forbidden territory. Now that the seal was ripped open, there came as a result a formidable force.

(Song continues)

_Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need..._

That force was Imperial Dramon, the Mega form of Davis's partner Veemon. For too long, it seemed, he had been kept away thanks to the fact that Davis was one piece short of a full battle crest. And now, at long last, the half-metallic dragon was reborn in glory, hovering in mid-air over the site of Wrathmon's Power Spine, with Wrathmon itself gazing back from the ground in spitefulness.

But the mighty dragon wasn't alone; there was another with him who seemed to have been given an equal share of his power. It was Davis, and though his battle gear couldn't really match the strength of his Mega digimon counterpart, he looked just as bad-ass.

In fact, part of his outfit looked slightly familiar; years ago, Davis had donned a fire-painted leather jacket in his first adventure in the digital world, complete with creamy-white fuzzy interior which was revealed around the collar.

That jacket returned in this battle-gear form, only now it was joined with gloves that mimicked the claws of Imperial Dramon, and to make it more menacing, it was strapped shut with two belt buckles down the chest, in a gothic-like manner.

He also had a matching pair of black leather pants, with boots that also mimicked the limbs and feet of Imperial Dramon, and topped off with a cloned tail of the dragon. And of course, behind the jacket were two pairs of fitting Imperial Dramon wings.

As a finishing tough, Davis was crowned with a mask that looked almost kingly, but was actually based on the head of Imperial Dramon… and it just wouldn't be Davis without a pair of red goggles (in contrast to Imperial Dramon's yellow eyes) shielding his eyes.

With his battle crest still wrapped around his neck like a royal heirloom, Battle-Gear Davis stood atop Imperial Dramon's face, ready to welcome their enemy with as much intent to kill as the Sin had.

Nearby, witnessing this event were four of Davis's closest friends: Tai, Matt, and their digimon.

No one spoke a word at the moment, because they were all stunned and awestruck at the seemingly miraculous moment. But then Tai, who was usually the kind of person who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut no matter what the situation, knew exactly what to say at this moment: "Kick his ass, boys."

_Ah! Ah!_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life, larger than life_

And so, they were off; Imperial Dramon spread his bat-like red wings and made a dive for Wrathmon. He circled around the burning skeleton as if calculating just where to strike, and in the process the towering Sin took a few swipes at him.

Once on the ground, the great dragon went for it and slammed his front claws against Wrathmon's, and the two of them started to throw their weight around like sumo wrestlers.

Meanwhile, Battle-Gear Davis spread his own set of red bat-like wings and shot into the air like a rocket. In two short seconds, he was hovering above the dueling digimon, and prepared his own attack. When he did, he clasped his hands together and roared, "PALADIN SWORD!"

Magically, a giant sword, fashioned after a golden talon of Imperial Dramon, appeared in Davis's grasp. He then aimed it at the neck of the distracted Wrathmon, and made a quick dive for it.

_Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy_

_Somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me_

_Racing with the thunder and rising with the heat_

_It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet_

As expected, the Paladin Sword slammed itself into Wrathmon's neck, impaling it. But just as soon as it had appeared, the sword disappeared on impact; Wrathmon, however, took the blow hard and cringed in pain.

While it did so, Imperial Dramon acted quickly, nudging his head over to Davis to catch him in mid-air. Before their enemy knew it, the two of them darted for its Power Spine, ready to take it down when they had the chance to.

The two look-alike heroes swirled themselves around the Spine as they flew higher and higher to the top, leaving a small trail of light behind them that started to form the pattern of a DNA strand. It was almost as if they were putting on a show as they reached the top.

But Wrathmon would not have it; just as soon as the Sin healed itself from Davis's attack, it grew all the more frustrated and growled as it glared maliciously at its enemies. Then it took off after them, and as it did so it began to change itself; the hellfire that made up its waist and lower body had suddenly enveloped its whole body, reshaping everything into a burning dragon.

It spread its fiery wings and followed Imperial Dramon's trail like a bat out of hell, to the top of the Power Spine. Just as Davis and his partner were about to enter it, they turned around and looked upon their enflamed foe in horror. The dragon-like Wrathmon dared to launch its new beak at them, but Davis quickly took off in a mad dash.

_Out where mountains meet the heavens above_

_Out where the lightning splits the sea_

_I can swear, there is someone, somewhere_

_Watching me_

_Through the wind, and the chill, and the rain_

_And the storm and the flood_

_I can feel his approach_

_Like a fire in my blood_

_Like a fire in my blood..._

Davis seemed to have taken off too quickly, because for a moment, as he zipped through the air as if he had done so a million times, he felt safe and sound. But not one to let his guard down completely, he glanced to his left and right for any signs of danger. It was only when he looked behind him, to his right, when he realized that the burning dragon Wrathmon was right behind him!

Luckily, the human dodged the dragon's beak just as it was launched at him. Davis sharply turned right in hopes to lose the Sin again, but Wrathmon was so madly driven by its rage that it was now strong and fast enough to follow Davis like a trail blaze.

The human and the Sin were now buzzing through the air in any direction, skidding a nearby set of mountainous rocks in the process. Davis had no effect on them, but as soon as Wrathmon's wings brushed them, they disappeared.

Closer and closer the Sin's beak came to Davis, and his quick dodges were becoming more and more hopeless. But when he looked ahead, he could see that his friend Imperial Dramon was headed their way.

Davis then took this opportunity to catch Wrathmon off guard by flipping onto the beast's snout, then jumping off it while unfolding his wings to take in an updraft. As he had hoped, Wrathmon did not expect it, and as soon as the human was out of its sights, it could now clearly see that it was heading straight for Imperial Dramon's jaws.

(Interlude)

**WHAM!**

Wrathmon and Imperial Dramon collided like a wrecking ball to a brick wall, and lunged themselves onto the ground in haste. As the two of them tussled, Davis, hovering above them and catching his breath, glanced over to the direction in which the Power Spine could be spotted.

Hero! 

Sure enough, it was still waiting to be destroyed, and so Davis spread his wings and made a sharp turn, taking off right toward it.

(Song continues)

The speedy human with impressive dragon armor took like a bullet, from where he stood in mid-air just a mile away to the very interior of the Power Spine.

He had no time to admire the glistening blue lights that made up its interior; instead, he kept his pace and swooped, flipped, and spun through the halls until at last he came to the center, where the unsteady stream of core data would be waiting for him.

_I need a hero!_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_And he's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

Unsteady data, indeed; Wrathmon's Power Spine had become scratched and chipped on the outside, and it was effecting the stolen data from within. Davis had to act fast; if he couldn't be able to stop this Spine from working, it could have destroyed itself and potentially ruptured a great chunk of the digital world's atmosphere.

So, as soon as he close a spot right in front of the whirlpool of core data, he grasped onto his Crest of Nobility, held it up to the data, and started to holler, "NOBILITY'S LIGHT, ENER-"

That would be about as far as he could go, for he was then interrupted by the sudden **"CRASH,"** made by an enraged Wrathmon. The burning beast took Davis completely by surprise, causing him to scream in panic.

Davis flapped both his wings and his arms in hopes to escape, but Wrathmon was now too close and too big to dodge. The burning Sin had its jaws open wide, and just as it lunged itself into the Power Spine's center, it had swallowed the human whole.

It would have been enough satisfaction for one as evil as Wrathmon to know that it had just devoured an enemy as great as Davis; however, this beast was so taken by its adrenalin, that even when it did swallow Davis, it did not stop moving forward.

Almost instantly, the Sin had plowed itself straight into the core data, splattering it all over the place for a moment, and then soon enough it recollected itself in the center.

Ooo… 

(May need an extension on the song, or a pause from it)

All was quiet in the Power Spine; in fact, it seemed quite peaceful all of a sudden. Wrathmon had become one with the core data, something that was never expected but never before dared to try. It was clear now that any digimon could easily become pure data when fused with the digital world's core energy.

The once brutal and frightening beast was now nothing more than a blue, glowing blob of data; a mere silhouette of its former self. But it was still alive and intelligent, as it took a moment to stare in wonder at its new form.

...And that's just what Davis needed.

(Resume song, if need be a pause)

_Ah! Hero!_

_For he's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!_

_I need a hero!_

While Wrathmon was now pure data, Davis, being a human, was not. And he was definitely still alive, hidden somewhere inside Wrathmon's body. The evidence would be revealed through the sudden change in color of the data stream, from blue to red- a red that matched that of Davis's new crest.

Wrathmon was now completely helpless, as it started to gravitate at lightning speed toward the center of the earth, along with the core data that was fused with it.

Meanwhile, the Power Spine's interior was changing from blue to red as well, signaling that Davis's attempt to reverse the Spine's effect was now successful.

(Song ends)

Just as the Power Spine was put in reverse, it had begun to collapse in ruin. And just in time, too; only when the core data was completely sent back into the earth did the Spine cause any damage to its environment.

The damage was minimal, though it did crack the earth with the same gusto as a volcano's eruption. This force pushed back those that had witnessed this event, including a nearby Imperial Dramon.

Just as the area was becoming covered in smoke, Tai and the others crawled to their feet, nearly shell-shocked by the earth's disruption.

They coughed and dusted themselves, not suspecting that anything had gone wrong, but when they heard Imperial Dramon cry out, "DAVIS!?" they gasped in horror to think that something had gone terribly wrong. They echoed the cry of the Mega digimon, "Davis!!" and forced themselves out from behind debris left by the shattered Power Spine.

The Mega digimon that helped save the day then reversed his transformation back into his toddler form, DemiVeemon. Weary from the battle and overcome with concern for his missing partner, the Trainee began the search around the Power Spine's perimeter for Davis.

As frantically as they could, the humans and digimon pushed aside as many rocks and boulders as they could, hoping to see if they could find their missing friend behind or beneath them. But the more they searched, the more hopeless they felt.

Finally, DemiVeemon crawled into the area that was once the interior of Wrathmon's Power Spine, knowing that this was the place that Davis had been last seen. The once magnificent tower was no more, and now all that stood were scattered rocks and split walls.

Though he was tiny and slow, DemiVeemon hopped as quickly as he could to the center of the ring, where a large carving of circles and symbols were found on the floor.

The little digimon looked at this carving carefully and curiously; perhaps these markings were made by the Spine as it plowed into the earth to drill out the core data. But that didn't matter to the In-Training toddler, for he was only looking for one thing.

"Davis?" peeped DemiVeemon; again he cried out, but it seemed to be in vain. That didn't, however, stop the tiny digimon to move in closer and closer to the center of the floor. He knew in his heart that Davis was there; he just had to be there.

And then...

Rumble… 

"uuuhh…"

These were just the kind of noises that DemiVeemon needed to hear; they had confirmed that somebody was there in the same area with him, and he was buried underneath a pile of rubble. "...Davis?" blinked the puppy dog eyes of the toddler digimon. In response, a tan and dusty hand weakly emerged from a specific pile of debris.

DemiVeemon was now in tears with joy; "HEY! Tai! Matt! You guys!!" he hollered, "Come'ere; it's Davis!! He's Alive!"

Tai and the others could hear him from outside of the Spine, and came rushing to him instantly. The little digimon was going to need assistance in drawing Davis from his bed of rocks, but thankfully Tai and the others were more than enough help to do so.

Tai and Matt each grabbed Davis by an arm, and lifted him to his feet. The younger man, covered in dust from the battle, was half asleep with weakness, and so when he emerged from the debris he sat back down to rest.

His battle gear had been shed, and now he was back to his original self... Actually, there was something new about him, and Tai was the first to notice. "Look..." he muttered, pointing to Davis's head. Matt, Agumon and Gabumon all blinked and gasped, "Aww..."

They could see it for themselves; Davis had a new pair of soccer goggles on his head now, and these were lined in black with red lenses- almost completely color contrast to Tai's signature goggles.

There was something else new about the young man; his necklace bore a full jewel now: a red Crest with a golden-lined symbol that resembled a kingly crown. Matt was the first to notice this and smiled, "Look at that... He's finally earned his crest." "And," added Tai with a proud grin, "his own goggles."

While the older humans were exploring Davis's new features, DemiVeemon was already getting cozy in his partner's arms; he held onto him like a baby would a father, thankful beyond words that Davis was still alive.

It looked as though Davis was holding onto something else in his stare of near unconsciousness, and it didn't become visible until his left arm gave way to it. Whatever it was that he was cradling under his arm, it gave off a red glimmer; Agumon saw it first and gasped, "Hey, what's that?" Since he was closest to it, DemiVeemon replied, "I dunno," and carefully lifted Davis's arm to get a better look at it.

The third prize that Davis seemed to claim for his own was a heart-shaped ruby stone, marked in black vein-like lines in the same fashion as Gluttonymon's topaz stone heart. There was no doubt in Tai's eyes; "It's Wrathmon's heart... That must mean he's gone! Davis took him out all on his own!"

"...no..." came the struggling voice of Davis himself; he pried his mouth and eyes open to further explain the truth, "...he got too careless... and destroyed himself. I just took the heart when I had the chance."

Then the weakened young man started coughing, showing that he was beyond healing from being nearly singed to death by Wrathmon's interior. He was, after all, eaten by the monster.

Tai patted Davis's back to help give him air, then he turned to his other friends and smiled, "Come on, let's get outta here." They all nodded in agreement.

Davis had earned a nice long rest, and so did DemiVeemon, so the two of them kicked back and relaxed as Metal Greymon carried them away, with Tai and Matt rising Metal Garurumon in coach as it were. Since they had already navigated themselves from Gaiamon's realm to the forbidden lands, the high-level digimon knew just where to fly; and so, within a few hours, they were already halfway to their destination.

By then, the sun was setting in the sky, painting the clouds pink and purple in the process; with that and the rest of the digital world looking green and peaceful, it was a nice transition from the Valley of the Unwanted.

While Davis and DemiVeemon were fast asleep, Matt and Tai were wide awake, energized by the drenalin they recieved in their latest adventure. "Wait'll the others get a load of Davis's new Crest. And wait'll Izzy sees this!" Tai was referring to the ruby heart of Wrathmon that he held tightly in his arms; Matt nodded, "Yeah. I hope he got some answers from that other heart; we might be able to use them for ourselves."

Tai then thought aloud, "I wonder what all the other sin hearts look like... You think they could be their weakness?"

Looking at the road ahead, Matt replied, "I think Davis was the lucky one; he grabbed that heart while he was inside Wrathmon. I doubt any of us will get that close to any of the other hearts."

"And even if we can," frowned Tai, "those Sins'll never give them up without a fight... This adventure's just getting more complicated by the day."

"You're right," Matt replied, and from that point on their conversation was drawn to a minimum.

Tai was right; this adventure was far more complicated than any they had experience. There were newfound Crests to discover, new digimon partners, new evolutions, and even new Preservers to consider. Plus, the Sin digimon clearly had a weakness of some kind now, but how it would effect the Digi-Destined remained a mystery.

What Tai and the others didn't know, however, was that the most complicated part of their adventure was just around the corner.

There was also one other element of surprise to consider... As Metal Greymon and Metal Garurumon soared through the air like jet planes, they were spotted by yet another digimon. He had found his way to the top of a mountain, and looked in their general direction just at the right time.

When his eyes captured the image of Metal Greymon, Veedramon Zero knew instantly who it was. "Taichi!" he gasped in surprise; instantly, his shock became overwhelming joy.

The aged Champion started to do a little victory dance as he cheered, "Ha! I found him! I found him at long last! ...Hey... where's he going?" Zero watched as the flying digimon disappeared into the horizon, and realized that they had taken the same direction in which he was going. He knew right then and there that he was on the right track.

As if he had hoped that Tai could hear him from such a long way off, Zero called out, "I'M COMING, TAICHI!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	25. My Own Worst Enemy

_"It was cool to have the whole gang back together, but some of our friends started acting weird- especially TK and Kari. To prove to them, and to myself, that I was worthy of earning the Crest of Nobility, Veemon and I went off on a journey to find Wrathmon's Power Spine. When we did find it, we found Wrathmon, too. Just when things got really ugly, I forgot all about my worries just to save Veemon, when lo and behold, my crest came alive! Together, Imperial Dramon and I took out the Sin AND his Power Spine at the same time! I guess good things really do come to those who wait!"_

-Davis

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-Five: "My Own Worst Enemy"**

"Wow..."

"Gee..."

"Awesome!"

"Looks like a crown."

"Cool."

"Had to get it the hard way, didn't ya?"

These were just some of the reactions that Davis had received from his worried friends upon his arrival back in Gaiamon's realm. They were given a brief review of his adventure on the Valley of The Forgotten, and then they were presented with the red Crest lined in gold that shaped out a crown-like symbol that made up the Crest of Nobility. Davis tried to be modest about it, but the longer his friends gazed at his brilliant crest, the prouder he became.

"Well," he smiled as he scratched his head, "I'd like to say that I did it all by myself, but I couldn't o' done it without my pals. Especially Veemon! He had my back the whole time."

The equally proud Rookie by his side rubbed his nose in reply, "Yeah well, schomebody had to keep an eye on ya, ya big lug, or elsech you woulda gotten lost!" "Hey," Davis responded, followed by a noogie to Veemon's rock-hard head.

Davis and Veemon didn't seem to realize at first that not everybody was so excited for their victory; for that matter, not everyone was so happy to see them return from their journey.

But the facts were sinking in as the group that gathered to see them numbered only fourteen- that was seven humans and seven digimon.

Davis then noticed the lack of numbers and as he looked around he wondered, "Hey, where's TK and Kari? They gotta see this!" Veemon then added with a frown, "And where'sh Jun an' Penguinmon?"

The truth of the matter was, TK, Kari, Jun and their digimon were not the only ones that were absent from this reunion; Sora, Biyomon, Joe and Gommamon were also absent as well.

But that didn't seem to matter, as Matt replied, "I'll go find Jun; she'll be real proud o' ya, Davis." Gabumon followed his partner like a lost puppy, as Yolei grabbed Davis by the arm and said, "I think I saw Kari over by the lake." She then led him onward.

Sure enough, Yolei was right. Kari and Gatomon were sitting on a tree log by a newly formed lake, fishing, when Yolei dragged Davis over to them. Yolei then presented him to her friends by cheering, "Hey, guys! Check it out, Davis got his Crest of Nobility!"

Only Gatomon turned around to face them; when she did, she smiled, "Hey! Congratulations, Davis; we all knew you had it in you."

Davis was thankful for Gatomon's reaction, but he really needed to hear Kari's. He then moved over to the log, sat himself beside an oblivious-looking Kari, and smiled, "Hey, hey! They said I couldn't do it, and by 'they' I mean you, but I did it! Look!" He then proved it by holding out his crest to her; it glimmered in the sunlight.

Kari barely moved; instead she glanced at him briefly with darkened eyes and muttered, "Good for you, Davis." Her tone of voice seemed normal, except that it would have been brighter and more cheerful if Kari were her normal self.

Davis ignored her bland tone; he was just happy to be near her, not because part of him still liked her, but so that he could gloat to her and TK.

He then slid down off the log so that he could lean his back into it and lounge by the poolside. He crossed his legs and folded his arms behind his head to make a pillow for his head. Then Davis sighed deeply, "...So? You proud of me or what, Kari?" He just had to get something out of her.

Kari replied monotonously, "It's very impressive, Davis. You should feel proud of yourself, 'cause guys like you don't usually get this lucky." Davis just acted like his old self by brushing off Kari's cold tone as he smiled, "Yep, that's me! I'm a real lucky guy!"

Meanwhile, Yolei, Hawkmon and Gatomon listened carefully to the conversation. They were already picking up an unusual vibe from the Child of Light.

"That's not what I meant," replied a dark-toned Kari, in response to Davis's small joke. This time, Davis dropped the male bimbo act and became slightly more serious about the way Kari was talking to him; "Come on," he pleaded, "I've literally been to Hell and back for this thing. You mean to tell me you're not the slightest bit happy for me? You, Kari? The girl who gets ecstatic when she sees butterflies crawl out of their cocoons?"

"I'm not in the mood, Davis," she replied coldly.

Davis went on, "The girl who practically does flips whenever she sees her favorite flavor on sale at the ice cream parlor?"

"Stop it, Davis." Her eyes were starting to narrow.

"The girl who greets every single person on the street with a big smile and a nice 'Hello?' You know, some people think you need help, but they're just not used to meeting somebody so cheerful and friendly! ......I said-"

"I heard what you said!" she snapped all of a sudden.

Davis nearly fell on his back in reaction to Kari's outburst, but luckily he caught himself at the last second. His heart, however, didn't quite catch itself soon enough, and practically leapt out of his chest. Likewise, the young lady and digimon nearby were also taken back by Kari's outburst.

But as quickly as she snapped, she quickly recovered by clearing her throat and said in a softer tone, "...I'm just... not in the mood right now. I'm sorry."

"Not in the mood?" blinked a recovering Davis; "For what?"

Kari flicked her fishing pole back into the water and replied, "Davis, there's just too much stuff to worry about right now. We don't have time to celebrate anybody's victories."

Then Gatomon jumped into the conversation by smiling to her partner, "That's not true, Kari. We've already gotten two Sin Digimon, and I'll bet the rest of them are just scrambling for new ideas. Either that, or they're hiding under their beds."

"That's right," added Davis; "we got two Sin digimon in just four days! Now that's gotta count for something, right?"

"You have a point," replied an unemotional Kari; "But still, we've got a long way to go before we can stop and relax."

The one thing that was bugging Davis more than Kari's tone of voice was the fact that she barely even looked him in the face during this time. Kari was one of the most social people around, and when she had something to say, she usually made eye contact when saying it. Gatomon noticed it too, and became all the more concerned about her partner.

Then Yolei stepped in to break the tension by saying, "Come on Davis, let's go find TK. I'll bet he'll wanna see the crest." Davis took her advice and followed in her departure from the lake.

Gatomon then inched herself close to Kari and purred, "Kari?" "What?" was her response; Gatomon then smiled, "I know things have been crazy lately, but the least we could do is be happy for our friends."

Then Kari replied with, "...I am happy for Davis... It's just that-"

"-things are changing around here," said TK a few minutes later, after Davis and Yolei discovered him under a tree a few feet away from the lake.

Davis narrowed his eyes at the young blonde, "The only thing changing around here is your attitude!" Then Patamon, the orange guinea pig with bat wings for ears, fluttered to TK's side and agreed, "He's right, TK. Ever since we've been to the Dark Ocean realm, you haven't been yourself. You didn't catch a bug or anything over there, did you?"

TK just sighed with a dark tone in his eyes, "I'm just not in a good mood right now, guys. I think I need some time alone for a while."

Patamon frowned with droopy eyes, "...Even from me?"

"Yes. Even from you."

That made the little digimon drop to his feet; he was used to being TK's shadow, and hearing from him that he wasn't wanted made his heart sink. Davis then picked up the little guy in his arms and said, "It's cool. We'll leave ya alone, TK."

TK then blinked, "You mean to tell me after all these years, you finally got my name right?"

It was true; Davis had his moments in the past when he deliberately misspelled TK's name, even if it did consist of just two initials. But he only did it out of spite and jealousy for Kari's affections; he stopped doing it when he realized how stupid it made him sound. Davis giggled, "Heh-heh! I guess I'm not in the mood to be myself, either. ...See ya."

And with that, Davis and his friends left TK to himself. The young man wasn't the type that wanted to be alone, but it was apparent that he, like Kari, wasn't quite himself.

Elsewhere, Joe and Gommamon had been spotted gathering chopped logs further off in the woods. Mimi, Tai and their digimon caught up with them in a matter of minutes after Davis and company faced off against TK.

"This is the last of Gluttonymon's destruction," stated Joe as he passed by his friends with his arms full with chopped logs; "We could use these for a campfire later." "That's a good idea, Joe," complimeted Tai. They watched as Gommamon followed Joe as quickly as he could while balancing a rather heavy load of logs on his back. He was quiet the whole time.

Then the young man with the extra-spiky hair asked, "You... want some help with that?" "I'm just fine," stated a dark-eyed Joe. As he passed by her, he gave Mimi the cold shoulder.

But Mimi was in a cheerful mood; she and Palmon skipped over to the pile of chopped wood and smiled, "These don't look that heavy; we can help!" She and Palmon (with her extended vines for fingers) gathered up their own share of the logs and started to pick them up, when they heard Joe comment, "Just don't trip and mess things up, girls."

Palmon frowned, "Since when do we mess things up?"

Joe replied from a distance, "I'd just like to get things done around here, so don't hold me back."

"...Hold him back?" blinked a concerned Mimi. "Since when do we do that?"

Tai calmly replied as he reached for his own share of the chopped logs, "Just let him be; he's probably just stressed out or something."

Hurriedly, they caught up with Joe and Gommamon to their designated spot where the logs would be set up as firewood. Joe paid no attention to his friends as they helped him set up camp. But then, just as he dusted off his hands, he nonchalantly commented to Mimi, "It's a pretty dirty job for you, isn't it? I thought you were used to being clean and pampered."

Mimi was the type to enjoy a life of leisure, so she took Joe's comment lightly and smiled, "Oh! I don't mind getting dirty once in a while; I'm just trying to make myself useful." Joe glanced at her and replied, "Well, keep trying... I'm sure Michael would be proud of you if he were here." He then walked away.

Tai looked over to Mimi, who had suddenly come down with a case of spechlessness. "Mimi? You okay?" he peeped. Mimi replied softly, "...I almost forgot about Michael. He's still in America, and I've been here for months now. I wonder if he's worried about me?" She paused in thought, while Palmon and Tai looked at each other, exchanging looks of curiosity.

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"You're saying you don't wanna see your brother, after he just got his crest from Wrathmon?"

Matt stood there in disbelief as Jun, sitting on a hill top with her back facing her old crush and her head bowed to the ground, said that she wanted nothing to do with Davis. She wanted nothing to do with anyone, in fact.

"Just leave me alone, Matt," she softly replied.

Matt and Gabumon glanced at each other with looks of concern; then Gabumon turned to the nearby Penguinmon and asked, "Penguinmon, what's wrong? Are you two sick or something?" The little purple penguin was sitting on a rock that was almost as tall as he was, and he too seemed to be very mellow. He replied to Gabumon with a frown, "I dunno about Jun, but I'm feeling a little under the weather myself. Maybe we just need a nap or something."

Matt was still worried about Jun; this young lady was usually very active and, dare he admit, full of life. But he felt that it was useless to try to coax her out of her mysterious state of misery and sighed, "Alright. You guys stay here if you want, but Davis'll wanna see you sooner or later. The least you could do is say hi."

"And the least you could do," came the intruding voice of Sora, "is know when to back off."

Matt and Gabumon turned around to see this other young lady, one slightly older than Jun and one that seemed to be just as unpleasant as she was. "Sora," Matt gulped nervously. Gabumon dared to step forward and smiled to her, "Where've you been, Sora? We've got great news to tell you! Davis-" "Yeah, I know. Davis got his crest," she interrupted rudely. "You guys have been dancing around that news all morning, like it's supposed to make things better."

"Sora," frowned the friendly Gabumon, "what's wrong?"

Sora sighed as she crossed her arms and turned away, "Ugh... I'd tell you, but you wouldn't understand. You're just like Matt."

"Hey," Matt blurted out as he stepped forward, "what did I do?"

Sora replied harshly, "Oh, don't act like you're the innocent one here, Matt! You've done more than enough to show you want nothing to do with me."

"Oh, come on," the young man growled with frustration; "We're not fighting over this again, are we? We've done it a million times!" He believed that she was still upset about the times he had been distracted by other pretty faces, even after he had apologized for those incidents over and over again.

But she scowled, "Right, that's once too many. Why don't we just stop kidding ourselves here, Matt? We're just two different people that want different things."

"...But I still like you-"

"Save it! I don't wanna hear it anymore."

Then she started to walk away. Gabumon blinked and glanced at Matt for an answer to, "What just happened?" Matt blinked back, "I'm not sure... But I didn't like it."

Meanwhile, Jun and Penguinmon just sighed, taking in more of their newfound misery.

Nobody knew what was going on, and nobody seemed to have the courage to discuss it, but something was definitely wrong with certain members of the group. Time passed by slowly that day, and soon day became night.

That's when another incident happened.

It wasn't that late at night when it happened, but it seemed dark enough. What happened was that Ken had dozed off under a tree, with Wormmon curled up by his side.

The others were sleeping too, or so it seemed. At least one of them was unable to sleep a wink, but everyone else had their own personal space between the budding trees and the growing bushes.

Each human was curled up with his or her own digimon partner, and most of the digimon would copy the sleeping habits of their partner. For example, both Davis and Veemon were lying on their backs with their legs stretched out, twitching in reaction to whatever dream they were having. And both Cody and Armadillomon were rolled up in balls with their faced buried in leaves, because nearby were Tai and Agumon, snoring like crazy.

It was a peaceful moment, until Ken's dream took on a familiar pattern…

------------ Vision: Ken's Nightmare ------------

He was lost in that desert again; that same one that he was forced to face in a flashback sequence just days ago. And like last time, the young man was treading through mounds of sand against the wind, hoping to find what he spotted before.

And he did.

Ken took a moment to shield his eyes from the sand that was blasting his way, when all of a sudden, there they were, laid out in front of him: footprints. Not just any footprints; the footprints of his long-lost friends of the past, Ryo and his Veemon.

They seemed to symbolize the fact that after Ken and Wormmon left their first adventure, these two went off on their own to parts unknown. Now that he was aware of their importance, Ken grew all the more determined to find out whatever became of them.

He took a few steps to follow the footprints, when the wind started to pick up again. He saw that the sand was trying to bury those footprints that he was following, and he quickened his pace in reaction. He was thrown back by the gathering wind for a moment, but onward he pushed himself.

Further and further he pushed himself, for as long as the mysterious footprints were visible to him. He could see that part of himself was desperate to know the truth about his old friends, which explained the footprints in the first place. But something else inside him was also holding him back from the truth. And all the while he was fighting the sand and wind, he wanted to know why.

He got his answer soon enough.

**FOOM!!**

Ken was thrown back yet again, but it was far more than a force of wind this time. The effect of this explosion threw him on his back, and when he sat up, he could see that something emerged from underneath the earth. Something huge.

Millenniumon.

The dark, wretched creature reared its ugly head at the young man, snarling like a crocodile as it did in the nightmare days ago. Ken let out a gasp in horror, looking the monster straight in the red and orange eye. It stared back silently.

The young man tried not to show his fear; he was obviously reminded of how terrified he was of this creature when he was a child. But he knew he had to face this creature, because Millenniumon was the real reason why his past had become such a blur to him in the first place.

"...What do you want, Millenniumon?" he bravely asked as he got to his feet. "Why're you still here!?"

The eyes of Millenniumon silently stared back, as the creature purred.

Then Ken's eyes dropped to the floor, as he realized that the dark creature had completely erased the footprints that he was following. He gulped, "What... what've you done? ...Why did you do that? I need to know what happened to them!"

The creature just gave him an eerie smile.

"Say something!" he shouted at the creature. "Tell me where they are!"

The creature's smile gave way to green, oozing drool; a sign of hunger. Finally, the beast spoke in a very soft, almost friendly tone of voice, "...There's nobody else here, kid. It's just you n' me. …And I'm hungry."

Ken knew that he had to keep calm, but hearing Milleniumon's haunting voice again made his skin breakout into goose bumps. Plus, he could see that the creature really was hungry. He tried to take a step back, but almost as soon as he did, Millenniumon stepped forward.

In one more step, the creature leaned in, opened its mouth wide, and-

------------ End Vision ------------

"YAAAH!"

That moment was enough to jolt the young man out of sub consciousness, and back into the waking world. Like anyone would after having a nightmare, he was met with a cold sweat, and he started to softly pant as if he was short of breath.

He took a minute to check where he was, and realized that he was in Gaiamon's realm, and not too far from his sleeping friends. But this was an unsettling moment for Ken, because he's been in this position before; last time, it ended with him being drawn helplessly to the Dark Ocean, where Daemon was waiting to snatch up his dark spore.

That's when he felt the need to take his trembling hand and feel the area of his neck where the spore was hidden underneath, as if he had to check to see if it was still there.

Sure enough, it was, but it was starting to itch. It usually itched when something was wrong, like a reflex or something. He gulped, coming to his senses, and stayed there underneath that tree to take time to calm his nerves.

That would soon prove to take a while.

Someone was watching from afar. It was Daemon, the Keeper of Darkness, assisted by the Preserver Daru. In a dark hall, inside the Keeper's forbidding fortress, he, the human and the Sins (save one) have gathered together to spy on the Digi-Destined, and it was made possible thanks to Daru's orb-like monitor.

The most intriguing vision they had was that of Ken waking up from his nightmare. Daemon let out a soft chuckle, "...The time is nearing. Soon our young friend will have to accept his defeat."

Farthest apart from the group, in a shadowed corner, stood Pridemon. She huffed, "One more victim of our dark influence isn't going to make much of a difference, will it Master?"

Daemon replied, "I disagree, Pridemon. So far, we have three of Polarimon's Chosen and two of Oceanamon's Chosen. All we need is at least one of Gaiamon's Chosen, and the circle will be complete."

"...Wouldn't it be easier to just kill him?" she said spontaneously. "Besides, all that matters is his dark spore."

Daemon was tickled by her comment; he replied, "You have a point, my dear. But those humans could still be of use to me. Especially this one..."

The dark Keeper then stood up from his thrown and descended from it to approach Daru. He then said, "I know just who to call for in this situation." That was Daru's cue to change the channel, so to speak, to another scene in his monitor.

The scene was changed to a dark garden, where there was a crystal-clear lake. By this lake sat the one Sin digimon that wasn't present at this meeting; "Lustmon," called the voice of the Keeper of Darkness.

Lustmon gasped, alarmed by this omniscient presence; "...Y-yes, Master?" she muttered meekly. She could hear his command, "I know you have special feelings for the Child of Kindness. I promise you, after his usefulness to me is expired, he'll be all yours."

The lavender beauty smiled with excitement, "Really? You mean that, Master?"

"Yes," replied her master's voice. "I have a new mission for you; succeed, and your reward will be great."

Lustmon laughed with delight with the same enthusiasm as any fan-girl would, and then she replied respectfully, "I will not fail you, Master! I'll do anything you say."

"Of course you will," replied Damon's voice.

Daemon then stepped away from Daru's orb-like monitor, satisfied in Lustmon's loyalty. But then Pridemon stepped forward and scowled, "Her?? I'm sorry, Master, but I must protest! That airhead of a Sin cares for nothing except getting her filthy little hands on that boy-"

"Exactly," Daemon smiled beneath his shielded mouth; "that is why I trust her with this mission. I know she will not fail me."

Pridemon felt the need to argue still, but it would be useless to argue with someone that outranked her, and who obviously knew what he was doing.

Pridemon was right, of course; it would have made their job so much easier if they were to just kill the Digi-Destined and their digimon... But there would be no fun in that, not when there was another way of getting to these humans in the most devastating way possible. And that plot was just starting to thicken. By early the next morning, it would begin to take its toll.

Nobody noticed any changes at first; Gaiamon's forest was still in the process of recovering from Gluttonymon's careless destruction. There was now a new bed of grass on the earth, and in the morning, it was dripping in fresh mildew. Even the trees were starting to bud with new flowers and leaves, as if the season of spring was reset.

The first to awaken were Davis and Veemon; Davis had been clutching proudly onto his Crest of Nobility all night, but his sleep was interrupted by the fact that he and Veemon were sleeping on a soft mound of earth, and had accidentally slipped off it.

Next it was Matt and Gabumon; the two of them made their own individual hammocks of leaves in a tree, and were tickled awake by the leaves they had inadvertently shaken off from the branch above them.

Soon enough, Tai, Agumon, Mimi, Palmon, Izzy, Tentomon, Yolei, Hawkmon, and Cody and Armadillomon- all of which were comfortably napping in their self-made beds of grass and leaves by the sides of trees- were awakened by the rude yet warm lights of the sun's rays.

The last to wake up were Ken and Wormmon; Ken had been up all night trying to shake off the fear of his nightmares, and Wormmon... well, he was just a big fan of sleeping. They had taken refuge by a small pond in the middle of the night, and the morning sunlight caught up with the rippling water in no time. The light that bounced off the water met with their eyes, forcing them to wake up.

Everybody yawned and stretched, and righted their backs if they had to, and before long some stomachs started to growl. The digimon in particular were the hungriest, and started to forage for food before the humans did. The humans had other important matters to attend to, meanwhile.

The problem, as Izzy found out by counting heads, that only eight pairs of Digi-Destined and partners were present. Izzy and Tentomon checked and double-checked, and it was clear: Sora, Biyomon, Joe, Gommamon, TK, Patamon, Kari, Gatomon, and Jun and Penguinmon were all missing.

"...Okay, this is bad," frowned Izzy in a low tone. He then quickly gathered everyone else for the news, and immediately they began to worry.

"Why would they just disappear like that?" Davis asked. "They didn't even leave a note or anything," frowned Mimi.

"You think they all sleepwalk?" blinked Cody; Armadillomon blinked back, "Is there such a thing as a sleep-walkout?"

Tai clutched a fist, "This is weird! We gotta find them; they could be in trouble." Agumon frowned in reply, "But where do we start to look?"

"There's eight of us," Matt observed and planned; "We'll split up in groups of two and that way we'll cover more ground." "Sounds like a good plan," thought Gabumon, "but who's going with who?"

Mimi raised her hand and volunteered, "I'll go east; who wants to come with me?" Matt then responded, "I will."

Davis then suggested, "I'll head north. Tai, wanna come with me?" "Sure thing, buddy," smiled his mentor.

Yolei then asked, "Who wants to go south with me and head for Oceanamon's beaches?" "I will," came the sudden voice of Ken.

"Then," Izzy stated, "that leaves me and Cody to head out West." Cody nodded, "That's fine by me." "Me, too!" added Armadillomon.

"Then it's settled," Tai said in his typical leader-like voice; "We'll use our digivices to try and track them, while keeping an eye on each other." "Alright," was the unanimous response.

Before the teams split up in groups, Izzy was packing the Sin hearts, along with his laptop computer, in the backpack that he was wise enough to bring along for the trip. That's when Izzy, Armadillomon and Tentomon approached him; "We're all set, Izzy," Cody stated.

Izzy responded, "Just one sec, guys." He then zipped up the backpack, which was now wider in volume thanks to the extra items inside. "I need to take these with me; we might be able to use them," he advised. Then the red-head picked up the backpack to test and see how heavy it was, and to prove its weight, it took him more than a little extra energy to lift it off the ground. Despite the extra weight, Izzy wrapped the backpack around his arms, ready to move on.

Tentomon buzzed over to his partner and sweat-dropped, "Izzy, do you need help with that bag?" "No, I'm fine," Izzy replied with a small strain in his voice. Cody blinked, "Maybe I can carry the hearts for you, Izzy." But the older human insisted, "It's okay, really. I could use the exercise; and besides, it's something I can get used to."

"Are you sure we're gonna need those Sin hearts?" Cody frowned with a tone of dislike in his voice; "They don't seem like they can do any good, knowing where they come from." "True," replied Izzy, "but it's better that we keep them instead of letting the other Sins get their hands on them. It just goes to show, Cody, you never know just how powerful something is until you give it a try."

Cody contemplated Izzy's words, which seemed to have a deeper meaning to them.

Armadillomon then huffed, "Wish we could pack a lunch before we go. You don't have anymore room in that backpack, do ya Izzy?" Izzy giggled, "Relax, Armadillomon; I'm sure we'll run into a restaurant on the way." "Great!" smiled the little armadillo. Then the little armadillo's smile dropped, "...Where're we going?" "Wherever the digi-vices will take us," replied Cody matter-of-factly.

As much as it was both a benefit and a weakness, the team had no choice but to separate yet again, this time to find their missing friends. And so, after gathering as many tools and food as they could, they were off.

It would take the team nearly a whole day to find anything or anyone special… which was plenty of time for them to spend some quality time together. At least, that's what they were about to find out.

There was a time in his life when Ken was more than just a pre-teen; he was something of a child prodigy. Nobody his age could run faster, jump higher or play a harder game of soccer. Likewise, no one his age could have higher grades- grades that could have easily gotten him into college without having to go through four years in high school.

But there was a reason for these special gifts: they were all part of an effect caused by the young man's dark spore. This same spore was the instrument of his corruption four years prior to the present. ...But you couldn't tell that to his countless fans.

In those days, he was as cold and heartless as he was adored. So, when he had received hundreds of fan letters from young girls and boys (love struck or not) over time, he had ignored every single one of them...

Until he finally put the Digimon Kaiser behind him.

After all those years, he had kept a few of his personal favorite fan letters to read over whenever he needed a good laugh. Because there was no doubt about it, some of those letters from his peers- who at the time were just coming into maturity- were absolutely hilarious.

They came back to lift his spirits again, on the day that the team split up to search for their missing friends in the digital world.

Yolei could hear the laughter of Ken, Wormmon and Hawkmon from several feet away. She had been fishing in the nearby lake, desperate for food, when she heard them. Startled, she took off from her original goal to go check on them.

When she met with them at last, she was stunned to see the three of them huddled at a tree, laughing their heads off while Ken was holding up a long piece of paper.

They finally stopped laughing when her voice boomed, "What're you guys laughing at?" Ken paused to catch his breath and smiled, "Oh... heh... We were just, uh, reading a letter." "Yeah," nodded his digimon partner, "I kept all of Ken's old fan letters, just in case we wanted to read 'em again."

"Fan letters?" blinked the young lady; Hawkmon nodded, "Oh Yolei, you've got to hear some of these proposals! They're all written by girls from ages eight to twenty!"

It was at that time when it finally dawned on Yolei what they were talking about: the fan letters Ken had received while he was taken over by the dark spore in his neck.

So her curiosity got the best of her, and Yolei then sat on a nearby tree uproot and smiled, "Well go on, lemmie hear one." "Okay," chuckled Ken, and he read on:

_"Dearest Ken,_

_"I'm sure you get this all the time, but I think you're the coolest and hottest-"_

"Coolest AND hottest?" chuckled Hawkmon.

_"-guy on the planet. Your gorgeous face..._ (**giggling**) _and sexy eyes alone are enough to make my heart run a marathon. _(Let's not forget that at the time I was TWELVE!)

_"I can say with all honesty that I can give you anything and everything you could ever ask for, because my father is the owner of a huge sport clothing company. Not only would you be our best endorsement ever, but we can guarantee you a lifetime of fame, fortune and luxury._ (Aw, geez...)

_Signed With Affection,_ (HA!)

Amanda Nike" 

"Nike?? Yeah right!!" laughed Yolei as she joined the chorus of laughter. Ken looked at the letter again and smiled, "Well, at least she left her number..."

"Here Ken," said Wormmon as he nuzzled his partner with another letter in his mouth, "read this one next."

As Ken prepared to take the next fan letter, Yolei grinned, "It is kinda funny that you'd keep these after all these years." "Well," replied the young man, "they're at least good for something... I was never gonna reply to them anyway. And I'm still not going to." With that tone of voice, it was clear that most of those letters were just plain creepy.

Then he proceeded with the next one:

_"To: Ichijouji Ken_ (Well, at least it's formal)

_Dear Ken,_

_"I'm sure you're not going to respond to this letter, and I'm also certain that it's going to get lost in a pile of hopelessy-lovestruck fan letters. But the reason I'm writing to you in this way is not just to tell you how much I admire you. The truth of the matter is, I do admire you. You wouldn't even receive this letter if I didn't, but that's not the point._

_"The point is, I want to thank you... Thank you for inspiring me and just about every other young person in Japan for being such a smart and talented guy._ (...Heh. You forgot 'gorgeous and sexy.')

_"It seems that all the young girls want you_ (-not just the young ones!) _and all the young boys wanna be you. And it makes me wonder: How does that make you feel?"_

Ken finally dropped his humored smile; he was shocked to see that this letter was beginning to look serious. But he read on:

_"Don't take this the wrong way, Ken, but I've always wondered how celebrities- especially young ones like yourself- feel about their fans. I know you don't have time to reply to all their letters or sign all their autographs, but I really would like to know how you feel about being so famous. _

_"Does it make you happy? Or do you find yourself wondering what life would be like if you were a normal kid, getting normal grades and hanging out with normal people. _

_"I sometimes wonder about you; I can't help but wonder if you're lonely._

_"You don't have to respond. I just want you to know that if you are lonely, then you shouldn't have to feel that way, because I and a ton of other people are all rooting for you. _

_"Even if you lose a game or fail a test once in a while, we'll still admire you. And it's not because you're so cute or so smart or so athletic, but because you seem to like what you do._

"I do hope you enjoy life, Ken. And I do hope I've relieved you of any doubts or loneliness you may have, even if just a little bit.

_"Of course, if you have any more doubts about yourself, you could always pick up another one of your countless love letters."_

Everyone fell silent, stunned by the writer of that letter's sincerity. Then Ken broke the silence with, "...Wow. I dare say, that was the sweetest... Wait a minute."

He finally noticed the signed name on the bottom.

Yolei had her arms crossed as she smirked, "Oh, I bet that was just somebody trying to change it up to get your attention. If you read between the lines, it's basically saying the same thing: Marry me."

"Yolei…"

"It _is_ a girl's letter, isn't it?"

"Yolei... This is _your_ letter."

"...What!?"

Ken then handed it over to her and nodded, "The name on the bottom. The address... It's yours."

She didn't want to believe it, but he was right. All at once, as she held the piece of paper in her hands and skimmed the writing with her own eyes, she knew. It had all come back to her; "...Oh, I remember now... Yeah. I did write this! My gosh... I sound so mature!" She was tickled by her penmanship, because at the time she wrote it, she was only eleven.

Hawkmon smiled, "Yolei, you never told me you wrote Ken a fan letter! ...Or that you were such a formal writer!" Yolei gulped shyly, "I... I forgot all about this..." She seemed ashamed of herself, but the boys all smiled at her. And Ken couldn't help but blush.

"I knew there was something special about it!" smiled Wormmon, the guilty party that kept it along with the "funny" letters all those years.

But Yolei was still being modest; she rose on her feet and stated dully, "Well, if you guys are still hungry, I've got fish on the menu tonight! Hawkmon, I'm gonna need your help." With that, she marched off with her digimon partner trailing behind.

As she passed him by, Ken smiled to her, "Hey thanks for the letter, Yolei!" Yolei just made a small, "Hmph!" She might have thought that he was kidding, but Ken couldn't be more sincere.

That fan letter really did make his day.

As planned, Matt and Mimi tried to follow the signals on their digivices to find their missing friends, but during their journey through a thick fog in the middle of a temperate forest, the signals were very faint. Almost absent. But still, they treaded on with their digimon partners in tow.

Mimi was being her usual optimistic self by humming a tune (in fact, it was the tune of "The Reluctant March" -see Chapter 5), while Matt struggled with his inner emotions while at the same time trying to avoid tripping on rocks on the foggy ground. After a while, their mixed emotions finally clashed.

"Mimi?" grumbled a grouchy Matt, "could you please stop humming for a while?" Mimi frowned, "What? You're in a grumpy mood now?" Matt let his guard down for just one moment to look back on her and reply, "No, it's just that I'm trying to concentr-AAH!"

Too late; he tripped on a rock and crashed.

"Matt!" gasped Mimi, as she and the digimon rushed over to him. The fog was so thick on the ground that when Matt fell, he seemed to have disappeared. But in moments, his head popped up and groaned, "I'm fine..."

As Palmon and Gabumon helped him t his feet, he sighed, "This place is so dense, it's like walking through mud or something." Mimi nodded, "Yeah, and it's cold too. Maybe I should've packed a sweater or something." Palmon then laughed, "You guys can never prepare for the weather here."

Matt then brushed off the dirt he received from the dirt off his black and blue shirt and sighed, "...That's not the only thing that bothers me." He paused in thought, but was then confronted by Mimi who asked, "Is it about the others?" He nodded somberly.

Mimi then dropped her optimistic attitude and frowned, "I know; I'm worried about them too. Jun was so depressed, and Joe wanted to do things on his own. ...And Sora-"

"Let's not talk about Sora," muttered Matt. He then pushed himself forward on the path ahead, making the others catch up with him.

Then Mimi boldly stepped forward to Matt and asked, "Why not talk about Sora? I know it's what's bugging you, Matt." The young man was both frustrated with and concerned about his girlfriend, but wasn't sure just how to approach the topic of her. So he glanced at Mimi and said sternly, "We'll worry about it when we get her back."

Mimi then lost her pace and moved back to the trailing digimon. Gabumon then looked up at her and wondered, "Are you alright, Mimi?" Mimi was all too willing to share her thoughts with Gabumon and Palmon; "I'm alright... It's just that I know Matt's worried about Sora because he likes her so much. She's lucky to have such a great guy."

Matt heard this, and felt silly for pushing Mimi away. He knew her intentions were good when she tried to make him admit his feelings to her.

Then Mimi went on to tell her digimon friends, "I know I don't talk about it much, but I've been seeing a lot of Michael back home in New York. You remember him, right?"

"Yeah," nodded Palmon, "the boy with Seadramon."

"Right," Mimi nodded back. "I guess I like him, but... sometimes when I'm with him, I think about you guys. I guess I just miss you, that's all."

"You mean us," asked Palmon, "or Matt and the others?"

"All of you," Mimi meant with a pleasant smile. Then she added, "I especially miss my friends in Japan; that's where I grew up, after all. And I miss everybody for special reasons.

"Davis always makes me laugh, Joe's always willing to help, Izzy and Ken are really smart, Yolei and Kari love to mingle with others, and Matt and Tai are both really responsible. I guess it's because they're both big brothers, and they have good leadership skills.

"Sometimes I wish I were more like them, but I guess I'm doing okay for myself. Sure I like to shop and get pedicures and manicures, but I'm not totally ditzy, am I?"

"Not at all," Palmon shook her head.

Mimi then looked up at the gray, cloudy sky and smiled, "Boy, I just love these conversations! It makes me forget all about our problems, and I feel like I can do anyth-AAH!"

Whoops! she didn't see where she was going, and just as Matt had done earlier, she slipped on the ground and fell. "...ow," she muttered as she was buried in fog.

Luckily, her hand was caught by another- Matt's. She glanced up at him, surprised to see how quickly he came to her aid. He just smiled back with, "...Heh. You still got a lot to learn, Mimi." She just giggled in reply, and let the gentleman help her to her feet.

Some time passed by since Yolei and Ken had their little moment with the fan letters that he and Wormmon had kept over the years, and since then the two humans had barely said a word to each other. Perhaps they were too busy moving forward on their journey, or perhaps they were both feeling awkward about the incident.

Perhaps it was both.

But eventually, they came to a stop near a river that they were following; it was leading them straight to a bog, and they could sense the humidity and the fog from there. It was now sundown; the towering trees around them made the scene all the darker. It felt unpleasant to be treading on such soft soil and with very little sunlight. But the mood was about to change.

The young lady paused to rest on a very high tree uproot when she paused to look around and said, "Okay, we're definitely lost now." Her small, feathered traveling companion crossed his arms and stated, "Well, it was your idea to follow the river!" She retorted with, "Well, I figured we'd run into a lake or something; and plants usually grow fruit around water. Don't they?" "Maybe," replied a nearby Ken, "but we're definitely heading for a swamp here."

"Okay, Magellan," Yolei scowled slightly, "where do we go from here?"

Ken reacted to something, but not Yolei's question. His attention was drawn to something that could be heard bouncing in the bushes nearby. Hawkmon and Wormmon heard the rustling too, and turned their attention to their far left. "Did you hear that?" peeped the little hawk; "Sure did," responded the little caterpillar. Startled, Yolei gasped, "What? What was that??" "I'll check," suggested the braver human.

Ken wasn't going to let a little rustling get to him, so he moved at a medium pace to the tall grass and brush where he had heard the rustling to investigate. Yolei and the digimon Rookies all waited anxiously to see what their friend was going to discover. They were even more surprised to see what it was, when he gathered it into his arms and presented it to them.

YukumiBotamon. Five of them.

This was one of several Baby-level digimon; like most Babies, they were nothing more than small bubble-shaped creatures with beady black eyes. To make them more distinct than any other Baby, these Babies were white in color (or pale blue), and had mouse-like ears on top of their bubbly bodies. They also had cat-like mouths, and when they talked, they sounded like toddler children. These Babies in Ken's arms, however, could only laugh with joy; they were playing Hide-And-Seek with the heroes all along.

"Whew," sighed the traveling team with relief.

The YukumiBotamon jumped out of Ken's arms and started bouncing around the rest of the heroes like excited rabbits; "You found us! You found us!" they all cheered in unison. "Aww," cooed Hawkmon, "they're just Baby digimon." "Yeah," nodded Wormmon, as the YukumiBotamon started chasing each other around the two Rookies.

Yolei's fear was a thing of the past at this point; she laughed as the tiny white creatures leapt on and off her lap one by one. But the other human, Ken, looked at them with worry; when the commotion died down, he asked them, "What're you guys doing out here?" The Babies then gathered together in a bunch, looked up at the male human, and cheered, "Hi, Ken!"

That wasn't quite the answer he was looking for; "Huh?" Ken blinked. "You... know me?"

"Sure we do!" cheered the YukumiBotamon.

Yolei smiled, "I remember seeing these Babies before; they're YukumiBotamon."

Again, Ken grew with concern and wondered, "But what're they doing out here? This place may be dangerous, and it's getting dark. Shouldn't they be in some kind of shelter?"

"We live near here," replied one Baby. "There's a small town not too far; it's just across the big river, and passed the dam," replied a second.

Yolei's memories suddenly came back to her; she could remember there being a small town in the digi-world that was placed securely behind a dam that blocked ff a large river. She could also remember this small town's dam being threatened by a Golemon, which was the creation of yet another instrument of evil, the control spires. "You mean," she blinked, "that's the same town we saved from the dam flooding a couple years ago?" "Yeah! That's it! That's it!" cheered the bouncy Babies.

While Yolei was getting acquainted with these adorable little bubbles with faces, Ken stood there speechless. That was like him, of course, but the YukumiBotamon took him completely by surprise when they said that they knew him so well. He was part of the Golemon incident, but their extra friendly voice tones rattled him still. And they were about to rattle him even more.

"Ken?" they chirped as they huddled back together; "Where's your friend?"

"You mean Wormmon?" he blinked; "He's right here."

"Noooo," they purred, "Ryo!" A single member of the Baby huddle then added, "We haven't seen him in a very, very long time!"

"....uhhh," was all Ken could get out of his mouth; hearing the name of his old teammate from long ago really knocked him for a loop.

It stunned Yolei, too; "Ryo?" she blinked. "Who's that?"

One of the YukumiBotamon bounced over to her and smiled, "You don't know Ryo? He's the coolest!"

"The coolest!" echoed the one bubble's friends.

Yolei then looked down at the one YukumiBotamon and asked it, "You mean there's another Digi-Destined?" "Oh, yes!" bounced the little bubble; "There's lots!"

"Lots! Lots! Lots!" echoed its friends again.

One of the other YukumiBotamon then added, "We remember when Ryo was here; Ken was much, much smaller." Then another added, "And he was really cute, too."

"Cute! Cute!" cheered the other babies.

Then another member of the five white bubbles hopped over to Ken and asked him, "So, when's Ryo gonna come back? We all miss him." The young man replied with a frown, "I dunno... But I miss him too."

Yolei listened in, and when she heard this her eyes narrowed with suspicion. She was starting to wonder why the subject of "Ryo" never came up before, until now.

"Will you tell us if he ever comes back, Ken?" asked another one of the five baby bubbles; "Sure," Ken replied as he forced a smile of confidence. The YukumiBotamon tribe then cheered and jumped for joy.

Then a far off voice called out, "YukumiBotamon?? Where are you??"

"Uh-oh," they all frowned; "Nana's calling!" Then one of them looked back at the heroes and smiled, "We gotta run. It was nice seeing you again!"

"Come back any time!" cheered the rest of them. And with that, they bounced off.

Hawkmon stretched out his feathers and cooed, "Well, it's nice to run into friendly faces, for once." "Yeah," agreed Wormmon; "even if they are just faces."

While those two were talking, Yolei got to her feet and approached the young man who was completely at a loss for words. He started staring upward at a tree, as if trying to find something in its leaves and branches. "...Ken?" muttered a curious Yolei. She slightly startled him, and it showed as he let out a small, "Huh! ...Oh. Hey," as he turned to face her.

Yolei then tried to act like the subject didn't matter that much to her, as she asked, "I'm just curious... Who were those baby digimon talking about?" She didn't know it, but Ken was trying to find the answer to that question deep in his mind for quite some time.

Finally, he answered, "His name was Ryo... Ryo Akiyama... He was a kid I teamed up with in my first trip here, in the digital world..."

Yolei could remember the times when Ken did mention his adventures as an eight-year-old in the digital world, but they were all vague descriptions. Now Yolei had a more clear look at it, and her curiosity grew all the more. "Well then tell me," she insisted, "why didn't you talk about this before?"

"...Because I don't remember," was her somber answer.

That's when Yolei finally understood his problem, and backed off almost instantly after she got her answer. She then watched as Ken started to wander off on his own, looking lost and helpless. She was then joined by her digimon friends, Hawkmon and Wormmon.

"...Did I say something wrong?" she muttered with a tone of concern. The little green caterpillar then replied, "No. I think he's just trying to remember ol' Ryo." Hawkmon then turned to Wormmon and asked, "Neither of you knows what happened to him?" Wormmon shook his head, "No... I don't bring it up, because I vaguely remember him too. But I think it's even worse with Ken." "Why?" asked Yolei.

Then Wormmon, with a voice that sounded old that now sounded just as wise, replied, "You have to understand something; when Ken received the dark spore, all his memories faded away. And because of that, he forgot that the digimon and the digital world were real; that made it easy for him to become the Digimon Kaiser." Hawkmon understood and nodded, "That's exactly what the real enemies wanted; with Ken not being himself, he was sent to do all their dirty work."

"It gets worse," Wormmon frowned; "Not only did Ken forget who he was, he also forgot his own family. Even when he came back to the real world after being defeated, he still couldn't remember them. He's okay now, of course, but you weren't there when he had to forgive himself and start all over again. It probably haunts him, even today."

Yolei felt ashamed of herself for approaching her friend with the subject of Ryo Akiyama; she sighed and hung her head. But Wormmon noticed and looked up to her and said, "Don't feel bad, Yolei. I'm sure all his memories will come back; they're already getting there. I was really impressed with him when he remembered Ryo's name."

Hawkmon then smiled, "Should we keep trying to jog his memory then? Maybe there's more to this story." "There is," nodded the humble caterpillar, "but even I have a hard time remembering it all. ...Let's just give him time." Silently, Yolei and Hawkmon agreed.

It was clear that Ken needed some time alone with his thoughts. But as he wandered away from his small group of friends, his instincts were confirmed that he was headed straight for a swampy area. Not that it mattered; he really didn't care where he was going, as long as it was a place where he could clear his thoughts.

He finally stopped when he felt the slush sound of his shoe sinking in mud; "...Perfect," he softly moaned. He then tried to shake off the mud, and became all the more cautious about where he stepped.

Seeing that many trees had uproots that extended three feet above the earth, Ken decided to hop skip and jump across the soaked earth by using them as his stepping stools. And it worked; many of these uproots were close together, so jumping from one to the other wasn't so tricky. And being an athlete himself, Ken took to this a little too easily.

All the while, his head was clouded with one thought after another: the desire to remember his old friend Ryo and their first adventure in the digital world was the most vibrant of thoughts. But he was also worried about his friends; he felt sorry for leaving them, because he knew they were just trying to help. And he was also thinking about the rest of the team; how were they holding up? Were the Sin victims getting better, or worse?

Then he stopped as he crossed halfway through this bog, realizing how far off he had gone from his friends. He looked back in the opposite direction and started to think to himself, "I think I went too far... I hope those guys don't think I abandoned them."

That's when the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of something he never would have expected: a soft, purple glow coming from the horizon ahead of him. He took a better look at it, seeing that it resembled sunlight in a way. That spooked him, because not only was it unnatural for the sun's rays to be violet, but also the sun had already set at that time.

"...What is that?" he whispered to himself. The soft purple glow looked friendly and strange enough to deserve to be investigated. In seconds, he couldn't take the curiosity anymore; he was off to get a better look at it.

That light that Ken saw led him straight to a long, narrow hilltop, which he found himself standing on top of. The slope was at the very edge of the small bog he was traveling through, and on the other side of that edge was a small, secluded garden.

It was a very beautiful garden, indeed; the purple light that Ken saw seemed to have illuminated everything from the crystal-clear lake in the center to the pink, white and purple flowerbeds that snaked around it. Adding onto the scene were willow trees that blocked off all other plant life, and a small waterfall that trickled down from another hillside.

The water coming from this fall was obviously inherited from the bog that was just a few feet from this garden, but when it touched ground at this place, it turned from a murky black to a clear silver, as if something in the garden purified it. It seemed that everything in this strange garden was pure and innocent, but it needed just one more element to top it all off.

That last element brought this strange but beautiful garden to life; in the air there was a sweet sense of perfume. Perhaps it was coming from all of the various flowers that blanketed the garden's base. Wherever it was coming from, it polluted the atmosphere in an almost hypnotizing manner. Ken dared himself to take in a sample of this fragrance, and when he did, all his worries were suddenly erased. ...But only for a moment.

One moment later, he realized that he wasn't alone.

He heard a humming sound coming from the small waterfall nearby, and when he followed the sound, he first noticed her lavender arm move its way toward the pond, where it gently scraped the water with its slender fingers.

Just as Ken feared, it was Lustmon's arm; she was lying on her side on a soft, grassy mound that acted as part of a staircase that would lead someone up the hill on which the waterfall was cast. Just as there was a strange omniscient light in the atmosphere, there was also a halo of purple light coming from Lustmon herself.

The Sin seemed to be in a state of relaxation; Zen-like, in fact. She didn't even seem to notice that the object of her affection had made his way into her garden until at last she stopped humming her strangely romantic tune. After she fell silent, she looked up at last and spotted him. "...Oh!" she smiled in surprise upon seeing him.

Naturally, Ken wanted to turn tail and run. But instead, he just stood there in awe, almost looking spellbound. But then, seeing the Sin gracefully rise to her feet, he showed his fear at last with a gulp.

The attractive Sin in black lingerie was amused at the young man's insecurity and giggled as she slowly began to approach him, "...Aww, what's the matter, sweetie? Were you expecting an angel?" As she moved forward, she deliberately set foot in the clear pond water, and to Ken's surprise, she appeared to be weightless as her feet touched only the skin of the water.

Nervously, Ken stepped back and replied, "Uh-wha-where am I?? What's going on here?" "Relax," Lustmon softly replied; "You're in my territory now, boy. Welcome to my secret garden... Course, it's no secret anymore, but eh. What're you gonna do?"

She stopped in the middle of the lake, much to Ken's comfort, but he still felt uneasy with being anywhere near this obsessive Sin. He glanced around and muttered, "Your garden? ...You mean you made this, in the middle of a swamp?" Lustmon responded with, "I thought it could use a woman's touch. Besides, every other landscape was taken... But that's not what's important."

With that she boldly levitated herself forward, until she was right in Ken's face. She then smiled, "What matters is that you're here, and I didn't even have to lead you on." Ken stepped back again; at this point, even the hair on his head stood up in a goose bump manner for a second.

"Now that you are here," added Lustmon, "why don't you make yourself more comfortable?" She then softly booted him with her hip onto a newly made flowerbed that was fashioned into a chair. She then waved her hands, and like magic, a few new objects appeared; "Would you like something? Wine? Caviar? ...Forbidden fruit?" she asked with a sly wink.

"I didn't mean to come here!" he protested, as he swatted away the illusion-like objects. Lustmon gave him space and purred, "Oh, I know. You just happened to be in the neighborhood, right? Do you normally tread through swamps to clear your mind of your troubles?"

"That's none of your business," he hissed.

The Sin replied calmly, "Maybe not, but I know how you got here."

She then made herself comfortable by sitting down in the flowery chair, making the young man inch himself away. Lustmon explained gently, "Now you're not going to want to hear this, but I've actually been watching you and your friends lately. I know you've been looking for clues to your past, but instead you've wound up here. How is that, you wonder? Well, honey, I believe it has something to do with your dark spore."

Ken shielded his neck with the palm of his left hand as he retorted, "That again? Come on, Lustmon, this is getting old!"

The Sin shook her head with a grin, "Now, now, that's not what I meant. It's true that my Master still wants that spore of yours, but I don't think you understand why. You see, cutey, the dark spore is like its own computer program; but not only does it come with its own software, as it were, but it also downloads things from its host as well."

"...What're you saying?" asked the curious human.

"I'm saying," replied Lustmon, "that the spore serves two purposes: to erase your memories and to download your every thought and action. For nearly eight years now, that spore of yours has been gathering more information about you than you would like for anyone to know. Heh.

"But that's really not what my Master wants; what my Master wants is a copy of the spore's programming, so that he could learn how to fully control human beings."

"...He wants to... control humans?"

"Exactly."

"But why?"

"Think about it. The digital world was designed for humans to own and control their own individual digimon. You and your friends are solid proof of that. But it's humans like yourself and your partner that make things so hard on us evil digimon. Every time we try to take over the world, you have to step in and stop us, and believe me, honey, that gets annoying fast.

"...So, we've come up with an alternate plan: recreate the program that Millenniumon gave you, the same one that MaloMyotismon tried to capitalize on, and then spread it to as many humans as we can. The result: an army of-"

"Digimon Kaisers," gasped Ken.

"Oo, you are a genius," grinned Lustmon.

Ken took a moment to contemplate this; the very idea of seeing a whole group of young adults- or worse, young children- ruthlessly storming the plains of the digital world with their digimon partners in a conquest for power and complete control... was just sickening.

"But," he peeped, "what does that have to do with me being here?" In the garden, he meant; Lustmon understood and replied, "Well, the spore is drawn to any and all forces of evil. That's why you're here; it led you to me."

"No," he doubted strongly; "I don't believe that! I _hate_ you." "That doesn't matter," the Sin smiled on; "It's like when you hang around with the Digi-Destined that have fallen victim to our dark influence. You can sense their evil growing, can't you?" "Ah-ha!" the young man exclaimed; "So I was right; you are responsible for them!" "Guilty," pleaded Lustmon.

Then she went on to say, "You see, Ken, we can't really copy the effects of that dark spore of yours. But we are using our own dark powers to try and split your team up, for the sheer purpose of letting your guard down, while we capture the Digi-Keepers at last.

"See, we've tried to capture them before, but they were too strong for us. And now we know why: the power of your crests is what keeps them strong. Since it's your virtuous nature that keeps them going, then by corrupting you kids would reverse the effect of your crests. And therefore, the Keepers of Land, Sea and Sky will be sitting ducks."

"What's gonna happen to the digital world if you do capture them?"

"Well, it's not going to look as pretty, that's for sure. But with the three of them gone, my Master could lay claim to every continent and ocean he wants. Then it'll only be a matter of time until his reign goes beyond the borders of this world. That's where you and the spore come in."

"Now I get it," nodded Ken; "This is exactly what all the other evil digimon wanted to do... It's what they were programmed to do."

All of a sudden he wanted to feel sorry for Lustmon and her kin; they didn't seem to have a will of their own. ...Or perhaps they did, and really enjoyed being evil. "I don't get it," he frowned; "Why are you and all the others like you... so evil? Do you actually enjoy it?"

Lustmon was, for once, taken by surprise. And for once, she didn't have an answer.

Then she changed the subject fast; "Let's just focus on the big picture here, Ken; five of your friends are already under my Master's influence. All we need now is one more, and then your group is as good as split. All of the other Digi-Destined have gone through the test, and they have either passed or failed... All that's left now is you."

Ken inched himself away from her even further then; he blinked, "You wanna challenge me? ...How?"

She leaned in and replied, "This is going to be a fun game. All you'll have to do is pass through a special hedge maze that I've set up here. In the maze, you'll come across visions of different digimon; they'll either be your friends or your foes. If you can tell the difference and destroy your foes, you'll pass the test and you'll be free of any more corruption...

"But, there's a catch. You may find yourself destroying the vision of a friend instead of a foe; when that happens, you'll lose part of your memory."

"What??" gasped Ken; he had worked so hard on regaining the memories that he already had, and wasn't prepared to lose any more.

Lustmon went on to say, "If you fail this test, then you'll forget everything- your family, your friends, even who you are. And it'll be as if you've been reprogrammed as the Digimon Kaiser. ...I know this is a hard test, but it has to be."

Ken paused to think it over; "...What if I refuse to take it?"

The Sin narrowed her eyes at him and replied sternly, "If you don't want to take my challenge, then you'll have to wait until one of my siblings challenges you. Sooner or later you'll have to take a test, and I assure you, my siblings will not be so easy on you."

The sternness in her voice was very much out of the ordinary; Ken could tell that she was dead serious. He could also see that she generally cared about him, whether it was due to physical attraction or not. But still he had to think it over...

Meanwhile, Yolei and her digimon friends had finally discovered the bog that was not too far from the great river they were following. As quickly as they could, they crossed through it with the help of the same giant tree uproots that Ken had used as stepping stones earlier.

...But would they arrive at Lustmon's secret garden too late?

"…Alright," Ken finally agreed, "we have a deal." Knowing that he had very little chances of getting through any other Sin's challenge in the near future, he realized that he had very little choice in accepting Lustmon's challenge. "Excellent," smiled Lustmon with a soft giggle.

She then rubbed her hands together before raising them in the air; this conjured up her magic powers to form the hedge maze she promised. Just like that the earth and plants in the garden moved to her whim. The grass and flowers banded together to form a maze that would fill up the entire area- and it was a big area, indeed; slightly over a mile in radius. To make it even creepier, the hedge was almost completely covered in plant life, making it mostly a tunnel so that Ken could barely see inside it.

When it was ready, Lustmon guided Ken to the hedge maze entrance and presented it, "Well, this is it. Once you step in, there's only one way out." She then left him while saying, "Good luck, sweetheart... You're gonna need it."

Then the slender Sin floated upward to the top of a cliff where she could see the entire maze from a bird's eye view. That was Ken's cue to brace himself and move forward, which he did.

When the young man entered the maze, the entrance "door" sealed itself shut with plant life; Lustmon was right, there was only one way out after that. Ken gulped nervously, seeing that there was very little light in this strange and exotic maze. So he changed into his battle gear, knowing that with his red visors he could see even in the darkest of places.

And he did; he could see every detail in the walls of the maze, down to the last petal of every flower. After that, the only tricky part was to know which corner to turn; it was, after all, a maze.

Meanwhile, Lustmon was watching the scene play out peacefully, when she heard, "Hey, you!" Stunned, she whipped her head around to see Yolei, the one human she hated most (for obvious reasons). The Sin hissed at her and the digimon that followed her, "What're you doing here?" "I was just about to ask you the same thing," Yolei hissed back.

Lustmon crossed her arms as she looked back at her brilliant hedge maze; "Oh, I'm just watching a little drama unfold," she confessed calmly. "Your friend Ken is in there, looking for the way out." "Ken's in there?" panicked Wormmon, who noticed the hedge maze before the others did. He started to crawl down the cliff to try and race to his partner's rescue, when a misty leg of Lustmon's blocked his path. "Sorry," she purred, "no pets allowed."

Yolei then approached the lavender Sin and growled, "You better get him out of there, or I'll-" "You'll what?" interrupted Lustmon; "Face it, girl; you're out of your league here." "What do you want with Ken?" growled Wormmon at her feet; Lustmon replied, "Relax, kids. Ken's just going through his own trial here; if he passes, he goes free."

"And if he fails?" frowned Yolei.

"Then he still goes free... But he won't be quite the same," grinned Lustmon.

"What do you mean?" gulped Wormmon fearfully.

Lustmon then sat herself down on a blanket of grass and smiled, "Just watch and see..." Her uninvited guests had no choice but to do as she said.

Time slipped by, and Ken was now deep in the center of the dark maze. Every now and then he heard a chirping or croaking sound that startled him, but it would just be the sound of the animal life that passed through the wet garden.

Then the challenge took itself to the next level by unleashing something that came straight for Ken in the darkness. Through his visors, he could see that it was a Shadowmon- or was it? When it lunged itself at him in an attempt to strike, Ken pulled out the black scythe that was lodged onto the arm pad of his armor and slashed it clean through. The illusion then disappeared into the atmosphere.

The young man sighed with relief; it really was an illusion, but it also meant that he was, so far, passing the test. He then moved onward.

Minutes later, he came across another illusion. This time it was an approaching Gizamon, a fuzzy amphibian with a horn on its head. Normally, these creatures were Virus types, but chose their own paths willingly, so there was no telling if this illusion was that of a friend or a foe. He found out soon enough... when it passed him by as if he weren't there.

Ken relaxed again; so far, so good...

And then it started to get tricky.

Minutes later, the next illusion came at him; it was that of a Gotsumon, a gargoyle-like creature. The Gotsumon were usually friendly, but this one launched at him with its own special attack. Rocks sprouted from the illusion's head and were fired like missiles.

Ken defended himself with his scythe, and then felt the need to retaliate with a slash to the illusion itself.

SHING! 

It was vaporized, but just as it disappeared, Ken felt an uneasy feeling in his head.

For one moment, he could recall a moment in school when he and Davis participated in a class soccer game, and in the next moment, it was gone. He drew a blank. He had forgotten it.

And soon, all of his memories of high school in general would disappear with it.

Lustmon caught onto the young man's plight and grinned, "Oh, this is gonna be good."

"How are you doing this?" frowned a worried Yolei, as she and her digimon friends were forced to watch Ken's test from afar; "How could you just delete memories like that?" The lavender Sin turned to her with a confident smile and replied, "Are you kidding? We digimon have messed with you humans for a long time! As long as you're in our world, you're just as eligible to being deleted as we are.

"As for Ken's test," she further explained, "each shadow he attacks is packed with a virus that only activates when it's surface is scratched. Then it goes right to the source and wipes out one little piece of the poor boy's mind. The more it happens, the more memories he loses."

Wormmon gulped, "But... if he loses all his memories... won't that-"

"Activate the dark spore?" Lustmon grinned sadistically. "That's what I'd like to find out."

Ken mentally cursed himself, knowing that it was wrong to destroy the Gotsumon illusion. But he was only defending himself; how was he to know he shouldn't have attacked? There was very little time for him to argue about his actions, because he could hear the approach of more shadows coming for him, and so he moved on.

Time slipped by; Ken was running in circles in the maze now, and he didn't know it. What was making him so distracted was the fact that he kept hearing voices in the darkness, some of which that were very familiar. Then he heard it again:

"It's time to face your destiny!"

Ken whipped his head around, and right behind him, coming at great velocity, was the illusion of a cackling Devimon. A demon type? Surely this was an illusion that was meant to be destroyed! Ken grabbed his Kaiser Whip and launched it at the illusion, and one flick of the silver whip was all it took to bring this shadow down.

But just when he thought that this was the end of Devimon, more started to appear from the darkness. They came at him like a pack of wolves this time, from all sides. Frantically, Ken swatted at them all either by means of his whip or the scythe-like blade on his arm. When one shadow was sliced, another launched at him. This kept happening on, and on, and it went faster and faster, until-

SHING! 

....He hit an image of Agumon.

"NO!"

In one brief moment, Ken searched his mind for any more memories involving Agumon. But just as he started to lose his memories of high school, Agumon and his human partner Tai started to melt away from Ken's mind like snowmen in the middle of summer.

Suddenly, Ken stood motionless. He was all alone again, but for some reason his heart was racing. He knew something terrible had just happened...

"...What was that? ...What just happened to me? ...Why ...Why can't I remember?"

Then he recalled his conversation with Lustmon, and realized that he was in the middle of his test. The young man started to sweat, knowing that he had failed to remember a very important part of his life. But he had to move on; surely if he could keep himself focused, he could get out of this nightmare and have all of his lost memories returned to him.

That was his hope, anyway.

"This is taking too long," mumbled a deathly worried Wormmon, as he, Yolei, Hawkmon and Lustmon waited patiently for the resturn of Ken from the dark maze of exotic plants. The little caterpillar was right; time sped by like the wind, and it had now been almost half an hour since Ken had entered the maze. Yolei agreed with Wormmon silently by fidgeting in her seat while her hands were rolled up together in prayer. Even Hawkmon was getting tense, and the glisten in his eyes gave it away.

The Sin digimon, however, was as calm as a cucumber and only showed the slightest bit of impatience by tapping her finger on a rock. She darkly replied to Wormmon's panic with, "Relax, Caterpillmon. Your little friend's taking his time in there."

Furious with her comment, Wormmon retorted with, "My name is Wormmon!" "Yeah," snapped Yolei, "you've got no right to mess with him like that! And for that matter, you've got no right to mess with Ken." "I beg to differ," Lustmon softly replied.

Then, just like that, Lustmon formed a confident smile as she went on to say, "Haven't you kids figured out digimon by now, after all these years? We're all programmed to do something; that's why your partners are so loyal to you, while we evil types are programmed to be... well, evil. Heh-heh-heh."

Yolei blinked, "P-programmed? What do you mean??"

The Sin looked back at the human girl and grinned, "Earlier, your little friend Ken asked me if I enjoy being evil, or if it was just because I was created by Daemon. The truth is, I do enjoy being evil, but I think Ken's question rung a bit of truth. You see, your digimon partners were created to be just that, your partners. That's why they're so loyal to you, and that's why you have the power to make them digivolve.

"But there's a flaw in their 'program;' as long as they act under your control, then they won't have a will of their own. Therefore, if you humans become corrupted by evil, so will they."

Yolei protested, "You're wrong! Our digimon do have wills of their own. Right, Hawkmon?" Her eaglet partner nodded, "I believe so, Yolei."

But Lustmon disagreed; "It may be possible that you little Rookies are free to do as you wish, but when it comes to deciding whether to stand by your human friends or to run away when there's trouble, then you'll always choose the former. You can't help yourselves."

Wormmon shook his head, "We don't always listen to them; when Ken was the Digimon Kaiser, I defied him a few times because I knew it was for his own good."

"And yet," the Sin replied, "you did follow him for the majority of his reign as Kaiser... didn't you?"

Wormmon gulped; he knew she was right. He did follow Ken during most of his days as the Kaiser, but only because he was afraid of leaving the boy alone. If he did that, Ken might have never seen the light and would have been doomed to live the rest of his days as a slave to evil. ...But did that prove Lustmon right?

"Face it," Lustmon said solemnly, "none of us could help who or what we are, but we follow our programs anyway. Like it or not, we are what we are: digital monsters."

And now Lustmon fully understood what her Master's plan was all along. He wasn't just after the humans, he was after their partners too. If she was right, and the partners of the Digi-Destined really were bound by their destiny, then they would fall victim of the same fates that were being brought down on their human counterparts, and they too would become corrupted by evil.

She started to giggle softly and deeply, and it was freaking Yolei out.

Ken continued on through the hedge maze, knowing in his heart that there was a potentially big gap in his known past; something significant was missing. As these thoughts were eating him up inside, he came across a fork in the road. He paused to decide which path to take, when the paths made the decision for him. In one dark corner, a familiar scream was heard.

"...Yolei?" he blinked.

It did sound like Yolei, and it sounded like she was being attacked by something. And, it was coming from the dark path on his left. This had to be a test, but he had to take it. So he did.

When at last Ken made it into the next level of the maze, he was met with the illusion of Yolei and Cody and their digimon being bombarded by a gang of dragonfly-like digimon called Yammamon.

Ken had to think fast as to what to do; he knew he had seen Yammamon before, and it was not too long ago. He had to remember whether they were friends or allies. But as he thought about it, he was also startled by the fact that two of his best friends were being dive-bombed by these oversized insects.

"I can't stand by and do nothing," he decided, and took action.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash- SHING! 

How unfortunate; one of the Yammamon in this illusion represented a part of Ken's past. All at once he felt the unsettling feeling that something was being erased from his mind: it was the incident at Metal-Tropolis, the city that at first did not accept the presence of Wormmon, and later was attacked by the Ultimate digimon band of "Devas." It was a very climatic battle that resulted in the evolution of Gran Kwagamon... Now, it was gone.

Ken clutched onto his head and wailed in pain, as if having this one piece of his past erased from his mind actually felt like it hurt. As he remained motionless in his despair, the rest of the illusion surrounding him vanished into thin air. He was alone again.

The nightmare would go on for another twenty minutes. The further he moved through this endless maze, the more illusions he was faced with. Some were the faces of familiar foes, which were easier to kill than others. The rest were trickier; either friends that he had already forgotten, or digimon whose loyalties were questionable.

Eventually, Ken found himself running in circles yet again, but this time it was in an area nearing the end of the maze. After being in this nightmare for over an hour, it seemed as though it was going to draw to a close soon. Ken knew it too, because as he ran closer and closer to the maze's exit gate, the walls surrounding him grew brighter and brighter.

He no longer had to rely on the visors on his eyes, and so he made them disappear. Perhaps seeing the world through his true eyes would make it easier for him to determine which shadows to attack and which to leave alone. But unbeknownst to the young man, the color of his eyes were darkening.

While Ken was struggling within Lustmon's mind game, Yolei was struggling with another game the Sin seemed to be playing with her.

The lavender digimon smiled to her uninvited guests as they sat or stood in disbelief, "I have a feeling the Kind One won't be so kind once he ends his test. I can tell he's lost, because if it were up to him, he'd be out of there by now."

If Wormmon had fur, it would stand on end by this point; he stated, "Even if you're right, we're not gonna let him be used by you Sins." "Yeah," agreed Yolei, "we'll do whatever it takes to get our friends back!" "Of course you will," smiled Lustmon; "That's your destiny." "No," argued the young lady, "that's our choice."

Her eaglet partner nodded, "That's right! Even if we were created to do good, we do so because we choose to. Even digimon can have free will." "Well then," blinked the Sin, "prove it."

"I will!" came the sudden voice of Wormmon. He had just about enough with Lustmon's opinions, and waiting for Ken to pass his test all by himself had finally gotten to the little caterpillar. Without giving it a second thought, he charged at his fastest pace- which wasn't much- toward the hedge maze.

"Wormmon, wait!" pleaded Yolei; she and Hawkmon tried to catch up with him, but they were immediately blocked off by Lustmon and her smoky, shape-shifting body. "Hold it!" she demanded, stopping them in their tracks. As she stood before them, the Sin turned around to face the one that used to be known as Caterpillmon and hummed with delight, "...This should be interesting."

Wormmon had much trouble navigating himself around the maze, but he was so determined to catch up with his human partner that he charged on at full velocity. Before too long, he could hear Ken's screams in the distance and followed them instinctively.

Ken was screaming because he had come to a level of the maze in which he was bombarded with illusionary shadows. Some of them took the likeness of digimon shadows he had destroyed earlier, further testing his mind. There were two or three Agumon ready to charge and attack, and Ken responded to each of them aggressively. Since his memories of Tai's Agumon had been completely erased from his mind, it was now all too easy for him to destroy these shadows.

SHING! 

With the first dissolving of an Agumon, the memories of Tai went with it.

SHING! 

Then with the second shadow, memories of an old foe, Black WarGreymon went with it.

SHING! 

And with the third shadow gone, so too were memories of Tai's sister Kari.

Then more potential adversaries came at Ken; one was a Gatomon that came from behind and caught him off guard.

SHING! 

The shadow was destroyed, as were some of the memories of Kari's Gatomon.

The punishment would continue with each passing shadow that dared to approached a now irate Ken.

Meanwhile…

Faster and faster, the little green caterpillar moved. Despite his small size and lack of legs, Wormmon could sprint very well. In fact, he was getting better at it each time. Meanwhile...

SHING! 

With the destruction of yet another Devimon illusion, Ken had lost the memories of Chimeramon, whom he had created years ago with the help of a Devimon and several other Champion digimon.

Then the Champion forms of some of Chimeramon's body parts came launching out at Ken; included were a Metal Greymon, a Garurumon, an Airdramon, an Angemon, and a Monochromon. "There's so many..." the young man muttered to himself. Already, his eyes were darkening with hate and anger. He was losing control, and fast.

SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING! 

On and on he slashed at them with his scythe, screaming, "How are you doing this?? Leave me alone!!" He was forgetting where he was and why he was there; he was so wrapped up in defending himself against these monsters that seemed to have come out of nowhere, that he was beginning to feel... like he didn't care about destroying them.

Meanwhile, Wormmon was getting closer to the source of Ken's anguish; his rabbit ear-like antennae picked up the sounds of yelling, roaring, slashing and whipping. It was so loud and clear that the caterpillar didn't even need to pause and see which path on the road to take.

By that point, Ken was met with the one group of illusions he had feared to face: the shadows of all of the digimon partners that his friends had. On one side stood a Veemon; on another, a Hawkmon; to his far left stood an Armadillomon; to his far right, a Patamon. They seemed to be the only illusions left, and unlike the others that he had faced up until then, they just stood there motionless.

Already, Ken's focus was slipping. His heart raced (he could almost swear he heard it beating), his blood boiled and his eyes winced with frustration. "...Why?" he wondered; "Why are they just standing there? ...Are they just waiting for me to destroy them?"

It seemed like they were.

"Well??" he roared at them, in a tone of voice that would have sounded frighteningly familiar, but at that time he had all but forgotten his dark past. Still he yelled at the shadows, "What are you waiting for? Attack me! Show me what you've got!"

Again, no answer from the shadows.

"...You're just toying with me, aren't you?" me asked them softly as his nerves started to tremble.

He should have known that they were the images of his friends, and that the only reason why they weren't attacking was because they were his friends. But something didn't feel right about it; something was making the young man freak out. Was it the fact that he had very little memories left, and that he now felt like a stranger in a strange world filled with strange creatures? The whole thing felt... strange.

Ken took a deep breath and sighed, "...Well, maybe you're just trying to catch me off guard. ...Well, it won't happen! I've knocked out every other monster that tried to kill me and I should do the same to you! You think I'm scared of you?? ...I'm not afraid of ANYTHING!" He then raised his scythe in the air and challenged them, "Come on! If you got what it takes, then prove yourselves! ATTACK ME!"

Again, there was no response from these stilled shadows. It was as if they were taunting Ken, purposely acting innocent so that he could be distracted. He was seriously beginning to think that they were working against him; after all, every other shadow he had come across was hostile. So why would these shadows be any different? His mind was made up.

"Fine then... If you won't destroy me, then I'll destroy YOU!"

_SHING!_ -Such was the end of Armadillomon.

_SHING!_ -Then Veemon.

_SHING!_ –Then Hawkmon.

_SHING!_ -Then Patamon...

"Ken... Stop! STOP!"

**SHING!**

Then there was silence.

The stillness of the maze echoed throughout Lustmon's garden. It caught Yolei, Hawkmon and Lustmon herself by surprise. There was then an icy chill in the air that breezed through them, signaling an eerie feeling.

"...What was that?" Yolei asked out loud; she could tell that something had happened. Something bad.

Lustmon looked ahead and softly replied, "It's over..."

"...what.... What have I done?"

In his state of confusion and rage, Ken had mistaken Wormmon to be just another illusion brought on by Lustmon, but in the aftermath of his rampage, he could clearly see that this digimon was real. It took his slashing attack to its underbelly, and crash-landed beside him on the ground. It looked lifeless.

But Wommon wasn't dead, only wounded. He tried as quickly as he could to recover, but the little caterpillar could only open his eyes weakly and mutter, "...Mmm... Ken?"

But Ken couldn't see that his attack wasn't fatal; all he saw was darkness and despair. He knew in his gut that he had felt such despair in the past, a past that he had now completely forgotten about. But that unsettling feeling seemed familiar, nonetheless. Deep inside, his dark spore was coming back to life.

"What have I done?" he muttered again. He paid no attention to the Wormmon at his feet; instead he focus on his own hands, which were shaking at this time.

"Ken?" peeped the little Wormmon, as he found the strength to move his head and look up at his armored partner. "Ken... It's alright. I'm okay."

"Where am I? ...What'm I doing here?" The confused young man started to glance at his surroundings like a lost child.

"Don't worry, Ken, we'll get out of here." Wormmon was now struggling to his feet, which finally caught Ken's attention. But when his dark eyes caught sight of the digimon, he felt lost again. "Wh-who are you?" blinked Ken.

Wormmon's spirit was blasted by that comment; Ken's reaction to seeing him could only mean that Lustmon's tricks had done their job in erasing the boy's memories. But the Rookie still had hope; "It's me, Ken. I'm Wormmon... You gotta remember me, just try."

But the young man shook his head, looking at the caterpillar as if he were a giant spider or scorpion instead. "No..." he blurted out, as he began to panic.

Wormmon persisted, as he then found the strength to move, "It's okay, let me help you!" Once the little digimon inched himself toward Ken's feet, the young man jumped back in fear. "Get away from me!" he snapped fearfully.

Ken grasped onto his head as if a severe migraine was taking over, and went into a state of terror; "Just stay away from me! I don't know you... I don't even know myself anymore!!"

Then it finally happened; once the boy fell to his knees and let out a loud scream, the darkness that had been harbored inside him for so long was now free to take over, and it did. And as Ken and his armor were transformed, the hedge maze crumbled to ash, and just like that, it disappeared.

From half a mile away, Yolei and Hawkmon as well as Lustmon could see Ken and Wormmon. "There they are!" cheered Yolei; she led the charge which only she and Hawkmon participated in. Lustmon, on the other hand, stood her ground with her arms crossed; she knew what to expect next.

As Yolei and Hawkmon approached their friends, their feelings of joy were replaced with concern. They could see much clearer then that their friends were both doubled over in pain. Stranger still, Ken's battle gear's coloring had changed; where it was red, it was now blue. Yolei took a breath and dared to reach out to him; "...Ken?"

He reacted by whipping his head around to face her; his eyes shot invisible darts at Yolei's. She jumped back with a gasp, seeing the look on his face; it was a look she hoped to never see again.

"...No... Don't tell me."

Wormmon then winced in pain, catching Hawkmon's attention. The little bird fluttered over to his side and peeped, "Wormmon! What happened?" Wormmon replied sadly and weakly, "...Lustmon's trick worked... Ken doesn't remember us, and now... Now he's..."

"Now he's mine," came the confident voice of Lustmon from overhead.

The heroes looked up to see the Sin hovering over them like a ghost, and she started to giggle evilly. "Did you kids really think he could withstand the power of a dark spore?"

"Change him back!" demanded Yolei.

"Sorry," shrugged Lustmon; "The only way he could change back is by his own will... And by the looks of it, I don't think he wants to."

As if on cue, Ken got to his feet and looked around at the characters around him. The stone-cold glare in his face resembled the Kaiser's, only this time it was a legitament look. As the Kaiser he had an almost complete disguise, but now his face and hair were in their true form. That made his appearance all the more chilling.

"Ken, please," pleaded Yolei, "you've got to remember us... We're your friends."

The young man just stared coldly at her. "...I have no friends..." Then his eyes narrowed angrily at hers.

Lustmon grinned, "Hmm... Better stand back. This is gonna get ugly..." As she said so, she moved away to give her enemies room... to battle each other.

That night was dark already, but it was about to get darker. Wherever they were, the Digi-Destined were met with black clouds that covered a sky that was secretly changing color from midnight blue to blood red. A storm was brewing.

But neither Tai nor Davis noticed, as they led their digimon through a nearly endless plain that was miles away from a massive plateau. As they were trekking through, they conversed about their primary problems:

"It's just like her to run off like that," muttered Davis; his mutter was meant to be a mutter, but it was loud and clear enough to be heard from Tai and the others.

"Who, your sister?" Tai blinked in curiosity.

Daivs replied sternly, "Jun can never take too much stress, and when the going gets tough, she gets going. Literally. Sometimes when she's stressing from school, she takes long walks outside and we don't see her again for a few hours."

"You think that's what she and the others are doing?" Agumon asked.

"I dunno what's going on in their heads!" Davis moaned. "I'm starting to feel like we're going in circles or something; just when one thing goes right, another thing has to go wrong."

"My sister is like that, too."

"There's nothing wrong with Kari!"

Tai rolled his eyes, "No, Davis, I mean when she gets stressed, Kari sometimes takes off too."

"Oh... I thought you meant that something's wrong with her!"

"No, nothing's wrong with her... Unless you count the way she's been acting lately... You still like her, don't you?"

"Well you gotta admit, it's hard to dislike somebody who's that cute, that smart and that nice! ...Well... unless you count the way she's been acting--"

That's when they both stopped in their tracks. Their digimon stopped behind them, realizing what the boys realized just seconds beforehand. There they were, standing just several feet away with their backs facing them. Tai, Davis, and their digimon had finally caught up with Jun and Penguinmon.

They cheered for their newfound friends, but to their shock, Jun and Penguinmon just turned around and faced them with the scariest looks on their faces. Both the young lady and the Penguinmon had empty, dark eyes, and they narrowed those eyes at the boys' direction with malice.

The same thing happened to each separated group; Mimi, Matt and their digimon found a cold and angry-looking team: Sora, Biyomon, TK and Patamon in the forest. Cody, Izzy and friends met with a nasty-looking Kari and Gatomon, plus an equally nasty team of Joe and Gommamon in the valley. And then, of course, there was Yolei and company that caught up with the dark and unfriendly Ken in the swamplands.

"It is time, my children. Go, spread your evil now!" 

This was the omniscient voice of Daemon, which followed the appearance of a dark, unfriendly cloud that began to blanket the sky all over the main continent. And it was very clear as to whom he was talking to.

All of the tainted humans and digimon prepared themselves for a long and uneasy battle, as the storm in the sky gave way to thunderbolts. Meanwhile, the rest of the digital world felt the uneasiness in the atmosphere, and even trembled in reaction to it.

Even the Digi-Keepers, wherever they were, felt the unnatural essence of evil in the air, and were filled with despair.

Lustmon was right. This was going to get ugly.

TO BE CONTINUED


	26. Holier Than Thou

"We were all impressed with Davis's new crest, except for a few who have been getting a major attitude problem. To make things worse, Sora, TK, Kari, Jun and Joe all disappeared the next day. We split up to search for them, but Ken and I got a little more than what we bargained for. In other words, Lustmon showed up and challenged Ken to face the fear of losing his memory to the dark spore. Sadly, her trick worked and now Ken's joined the ranks in the band of corrupted Digi-Destined!"

Yolei

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-Three: "Holier Than Thou"**

Flashback: The Real World, 16 years ago

…Thud. …Thud! …THUD!

The Ishida brothers were sleeping soundly that night, when they were awakened by the sounds of thunder and vibrations of an earthquake. At first they thought it was just a dream, for when they both opened their eyes, there was a moment of peace. But then, the rumble happened again.

_THUD!_

"Matt?" muttered four-year-old Takeru.

His big brother's bed wasn't far, for their family was just one of many in a massive apartment complex. And this was in Heighten View Terrace, a city where many families felt safe and secure... until this night.

_THUD! ...THUD! ...**CRASH!**_

Young Matt finally opened his eyes; at first he thought the shaking he felt was coming from his little brother's frantic state of fear as the toddler tried to wake him up.

But then Takeru asked sheepishly, "Matt, do you hear that?"

The seven-year-old rubbed his eyes and realized that he did hear it; "It sounds like a thunderstorm," he replied weakly.

Then he felt a rumble; it nearly threw him out of bed. Alarmed, Matt sat up in his bed with a gasp.

Little Takeru started to get teary-eyed as he gasped, "Is it an earthquake? Are we gonna die?"

Matt just scratched his little brother's blonde head and replied, "Don't be silly. Thunderstorms don't kill people, and I'm sure it's not an earthquake... Just try to get back to-"

**ROAR!**

"...sleep?" blinked Matt in shock.

Takeru also blinked in shocked as he replied, "That didn't sound like thunder."

Together, the two Ishida brothers bravely approached the glass sliding doors that separated them from the outside world. That's when they witnessed something they never even dreamed of.

Two giant monsters- one an orange dinosaur with blue tiger stripes that ran down its back while wearing a brown face mask, the other a giant green parrot with an extra set of talons that acted as arms and claws (which noticeably had on them giant golden rings that acted as bracelets) while bearing a metal plate on its head- were clashing on the street just outside the complex.

Takeru couldn't take his eyes off of the blue eyes of the parrot monster, and Matt couldn't take his eyes off of the red eyes of the dinosaur. And at one instant, the monsters seemed to be looking back at them. Then, the fighting commenced.

The two giant digimon were clawing at each other, and then found their claws locked together as they pushed each other like sumo wrestlers. Parrotmon threw Greymon back and squawked, "SONIC DESTROYER!" This attack came like a flash of lightning that was summoned from the parrot's forehead, and it hit Greymon hard. So hard, in fact, that he went flying and crashed into a nearby bridge.

The Ishida brothers weren't the only ones that were witnessing this battle; there were other children that were awakened by the crashes and roars of the digimon, and those witnesses were also residents of the apartment complex alongside Matt and Takeru.

There was young Mimi Tachikawa, Joe Kido, Sora Takenouchi, and Koushiro Izumi, who were all watching that same battle between two out-of-this-world monsters from the windows or doorways of their own apartment homes. Each one more shocked than the next, but all were glued to the scene as if hypnotized.

There were two others who witnessed the battle, but they weren't watching from inside a house- they were actually on the battleground. They were young Tai Kamiya, and his even younger sister Kari. For the majority of the battle between Greymon and Parrotmon, they were using the bridge between the apartment complex as a shelter. But now that Greymon had crashed into it, they were in more danger than ever before.

But they weren't afraid for their own lives, but rather Greymon's... because they knew him rather personally. It was on that same day, in the earliest of hours, when Greymon came to them as a digi-egg and had since begun evolving into a bigger, badder creature. So when they saw their big "friend" get the stuffing knocked out of him by the opposing Parrotmon, they grew sympathetic.

"Koromon!" cried out the four-year-old Kari.

(Koromon was the only name that the children knew him by. (Author's Note: this reference is taken from the original Digimon movie))

Her brother Tai added with tears, "Come on... Get up! ...You just gotta get up, Koromon!" The dinosaur Champion didn't answer.

But then Kari had a plan; she had been wearing a small toy whistle around her neck, and thought that if she tried hard enough, she could make a noise loud enough to wake up the Champion.

Her brother watched as she bravely climbed up Greymon's face to reach his ears, and proceeded with her plan. She took one deep breath after another and blew into the whistle as strongly as she could. After three or four tries, she was already growing weary, but on she tried.

Finally, a red eye opened up, followed by an unpleasant growl; Kari's plan seemed to have done the trick.

Greymon slowly got up on his feet, while Parrotmon watched with curiosity. Though he was going up against a digimon whose growth level was higher than his, Greymon had somehow been blessed with more power than he ever had before.

**"NOVA FLAME!"**

_**WHOOSH!**_

And that ended it; Greymon's fire breath blew Parrotmon away in a flash. Minutes later, Greymon would disappear as well, without a trace.

That was the very first digimon encounter the human children had ever experienced. And though it certainly would not be the last, it was perhaps the one encounter that had the most lasting effect on the Digi-Destined.

End Flashback

"Jun... Jun, it's me! Davis! Don't you remember me?"

_"How could she forget? ...How could she forget her own brother?"_

That was the thought that was running through Davis's mind, as he and his traveling buddies ran into Jun and Penguinmon in the middle of nowhere. They had been searching for their missing friends for some time now, but now that they found Davis's sister, their welcome did not seem to be a pleasant one.

Both the young lady and the purple penguin stared at Tai, Agumon, Davis and Veemon with pairs of empty, dark eyes. Davis took it as a sign that his sister didn't even know him, and it was scaring him utterly.

"Jun," Tai began to ask as he took a bold step forward, "what's wrong? Why the silent treatment?"

Jun's silence was beginning to disturb Agumon as he gulped, "Be careful, Tai. I've got a bad feeling about this."

Veemon nodded, "Me too, Davish."

His partner blinked in worry, "I got it too, Veemon... but that's my sister. How could she creep us out so-"

He was about to finish with "much," when Jun and Penguinmon finally spoke monotonously in unison: "You fools. How dare you show your faces here."

"What?" gasped Davis.

Again, Jun spoke darkly, "I came out here to get away from you and your violence, Davis. You and your friends have done nothing but wage war on digimon, and each time you have, you've brought nothing but destruction on this world."

Penguinmon added with an equally dark voice, "We've already lost a good friend and most of Gaiamon's realm, all because of you."

Taken back by their comments, Davis backed up and exclaimed, "What're you blaming me for? It's not my fault we're in this war; it's the Sin Digimon and their Keeper's fault!"

Just then, Tai cut in to say, "Easy, Davis. I think this is some kind of trick."

"It's no trick," replied Jun and Penguinmon.

Then alone Jun said, "Take a good look around you; this is one of the last portions of the digital world that have been untouched by you war mongers. It's a peaceful and tranquil land, and it was a perfect place for Penguinmon and I to go to get away from all the tragedy that you've caused."

"But Jun-"

Jun interrupted her brother; "But since you've come here, that could only mean one thing: you want to fight me now."

"No!" Davis replied with a tone of concern; "We don't wanna fight you, sis; you're one of us."

She then narrowed her dark eyes at him, "You think I want to join you in your crusade of senseless violence? Think again!"

Penguinmon added, "We may have run away scared before, but since you're challenging us now-"

"We're not challenging you," argued Agumon, but the duo of tainted heroes seemed to disagree.

Jun and Penguinmon then hissed, "Don't think we're foolish enough to believe your lies. We know you want to fight; fighting is all you ever do. So if that's what you want, then that's what you'll get!"

Then Jun and Penguinmon did something that no one could have been prepared to see; their eyes began to glow red. It sent chills up and down the spines of Tai and Davis, while their digimon partners gasped in shock.

"Sh-she's lost her mind!" gasped Davis in horror.

Tai replied, "Stay calm, Davis! The Sins must be behind this; I'll bet they brainwashed our friends."

Then Davis's goose bumps came back, but this time they were summoned out of anger; he growled, "Grr... If that's true, then they'll be sorry they ever got near my sister!"

Veemon noticed Davis balling his fists, as if he was preparing for battle. The little blue dragon gulped, "Does thish mean... we're gonna fight them, Davish?"

His human partner nodded solemnly, "We have no choice, Veemon; she's asking for it. Besides... if there's one thing I learned from all my adventures, it's that sometimes the only way you can get through to your friends is to fight them."

Jun and Penguinmon took this as an acceptance to their challenge; they nodded, "It's on then."

Then Jun made the first move: "Penguinmon, digivolve."

Before their eyes, Tai and comnpany witnessed the innocent-looking penguin transform into a giant black bird (with and unusual pair of furiously red eyes) named Saberdramon.

Then he summoned his "Black Saber," a move that was already formidable to most digimon, but this time it seemed to pack an even bigger punch that knocked its enemies off their feet.

Yolei, Hawkmon and Wormmon had to take a minute to absorb the fact that their good friend Ken had been transformed by the Sin digimon, Lustmon. They were still in the Sin's garden, staring at the new Ken, along with the Sin digimon herself, who seemed very pleased with the results of her recent plot.

Minutes earlier, Ken had gone through her test to see if he could withstand the effects of his dark spore while experiencing amnesia, and he had failed. Now he was a much darker, unpleasant version of his former self; he wasn't quite the Kaiser, but he wasn't quite Ken either.

He stared back at his former friends blankly with ice-cold eyes, in battle gear that was already dark and menacing before but now it had a touch of evil (no pun intended) to it.

Then Yolei broke the silence, "Ken? ...Ken it's me, Yolei. I'm your friend, remember?"

The young man just stared at her silently.

Nearby, Lustmon scoffed, "Haven't you learned anything, dear? The Ken that you once knew is no more; meet the new improved Ken! Now he cares for nothing except himself, which is just how it should be. Right, sweetheart?"

She gave the young man a wink, hoping that he would react to her in a positive way. But he reacted by giving her the same stone-cold glare he gave Yolei.

"I guess he doesn't like you either!" retorted Yolei.

Lustmon then crossed her arms and huffed, "Just you wait! My Master promised him to me, and as soon as those Digi-Keepers are gone, I'll have what I want!"

Yolei and friends gasped, "Digi-Keepers?"

That's when they realized that Lustmon's plot had much more complexity than it seemed; she wasn't just after Ken, she was after Gaiamon, Oceanamon and Polarimon too.

"That's right," grinned the ghostly, lavender Sin; "as long as you Digi-Destined are no longer a team, the Keepers will have no power, and my Master could just pluck them right our of their environments!"

Wormmon, who had been by Yolei's side along with Hawkmon, asked, "But what'll that do to the digital world?"

Lustmon replied with confidence, "This world will lose just about all of its natural resources; but don't worry, it won't be completely destroyed. We're just going to get things ready for Lord Daemon to take over!" Then she let out a devilish chuckle.

Hawkmon did the math; he knew that Daemon already had control over the world that was once ruled by the kraken Dagomon; but to strip this world of its three Keepers... "That will give him two worlds."

"Oh good," teased Lustmon who overheard the little eaglet, "you've done your homework."

Yolei shook a fist at Lustmon furiously; "You won't get away with this!"

The lavender Sin replied by rolling her eyes in boredom; "You kids really need to get yourselves some new catch phrases... But seriously, how do you expect to get Ken back? Just so you know, the dark spore was only de-activated last time thanks to the destruction of Chimeramon. But now that he is no longer a factor here, de-activating the spore will be that much more difficult!"

"She's right," gulped Wormmon; "If we don't find a way to get Ken's memories back, then we may never get him back to us."

"Well," warned Lustmon," you better think of a way soon, 'cause he's getting away now!"

She was right again; Yolei gasped in worry as she realized that Ken had flown the coop, darting out of the garden like a bat out of hell.

"Come on, you guys!" she ordered her digimon friends; "We can't let him get away!"

With that, she led the charge out of Lustmon's garden; the Sin, meanwhile, watched as her enemies flew after the lost soul.

To herself she Sin sighed with a smile, "Hmm... For a second there, I almost wished them luck. They'll certainly need it."

As fate would have it, Cody, Izzy and their digimon had crossed paths with another set of tainted heroes on their journey through a valley. But they didn't know that their friends were tainted at first; all they saw were Kari, Joe, Gatomon and Gommamon standing in their way.

"...Joe. Kari," muttered a stunned Izzy; an equally stunned Tentomon added, "Gommamon! Gatomon!"

Then Cody blinked at them, "How did you guys get here?"

At first there was no response other than a gust of wind that carried dust and leaves in the air.

But then in a dark voice, Kari spoke, "It doesn't matter how we got here. What matters is that we're not leaving... Not without those Sin hearts you have."

Cody then stepped forward with a look of distrust in his eyes; "I don't understand; what do you want with the Sin hearts?"

As the conversation went on, Izzy paid close attention to what was being said; Joe replied with a mean glare in his eyes, "You have no use for them, so you might as well give them up anyway."

The smallest Digi-Destined stood his ground and replied sternly, "We can't just pass these hearts around, you guys; they could be worth something. And besides, there's no telling when the Sin digimon will try to take them from us."

"That's the point," Joe replied coldly; "If you're so concerned about them, then why are you acting like you don't trust us?"

Izzy then muttered to Cody, "Something is wrong here; I can feel it."

"I can feel it too," nodded Tentomon, "and here I thought it was just from that grapefruit I had earlier."

Armadillomon stood by Cody's side and narrowed his eyes, "Let's get outta here, Cody; this doesn't look good."

Then Kari narrowed her darkened eyes and asked, "Where would you go? There's not a single place on this planet that we can't follow you to."

"Why do you want these hearts so badly?" asked Cody in a slightly harsh tone.

Joe replied, "We're taking them to where they'll be put to good use, and that's all you need to know."

There was a brief pause, but then Gommamon broke the silence with, "Oh, so you really don't trust us."

"Of course they don't," replied a monotonous Gatomon; "They've realized that we're the stronger and more advanced digimon, and resisting us will be completely futile."

"Okay," muttered a nervous Armadillomon as he took a step back, "now they're starting to scare me." That, of course, was the point.

Izzy was the most still and silent of the travelers; he was too busy listening intently and staring curiously at the eyes of his would-be friends. Their voice tones were chilling enough, but what was even creepier was the loss of emotion and color in their eyes. It was enough to make him conclude, "We can't trust them, guys... They're not themselves."

Then he took a glance at Joe who curled a wicked grin on his face; "We knew it; we knew all along that you were weak and useless."

"Now," added Kari, "we'll just have to do things on our own. Not like we care."

"Gomammon."

"Gatomon."

On command, the summoned digimon poised themselves for battle, and as they did so, their eyes flashed red for the first time ever. Then, they digivolved.

"GOMMAMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO... PLESIOMON!"

"GATOMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO... MAGNADRAMON!"

"Plesiomon, Magnadramon," Joe darkly commanded, "take those Sin hearts by force if you have to." And just like that, the two Mega digimon lunged at the Rookies and their partners.

At that point, there was only one plan that Izzy could think of: "RUN!"

After barely missing the attacks of Plesiomon and Magnadramon, the heroes tore across the plain in a frantic state of panic. But not long after that, Tentomon digivolved into his bigger and faster Champion form, Kabuterrimon.

Izzy and the others jumped onto his back, and off into the air they took. Though he was fast, Magnadramon was even faster, and she tried once and once again to shoot down the giant insect with her "Fire Tornado" attacks.

And just when they thought they had lost Plesiomon, Kabuterrimon and company were shocked to find him waiting for them in a lake as they zipped further into the valley. "SAD WATER BLAST!" he roared, which was followed by a massive torrent of water from his jaws.

Kabuterrimon darted away from the attack, but couldn't escape without taking some of the attack. Soon enough, his wings were clipped and he was forced to make a rough landing near the lake.

Plesiomon and Magnadramon were closing in on their former friends, when Izzy tried to shake Cody and Armadillomon out of their stare of dizziness.

"Guys!" he pleaded; "Wake up! They're still after us!"

Cody forced his eyes to open as he mumbled, "Hmm... wha?" The young boy then winced in pain, realizing that the crashed caused a sharp pain in his shoulder.

"Cody," panted Izzy as he reached into his backpack, "...Here." With that the older Digi-Destined pulled out from his bag the yellow topaz heart of Gluttonymon.

"Izzy," gasped Cody, "what are you doing?"

The redhead placed Gluttonymon's heart into the young boy's hands and explained quickly, "There's no time. We gotta split up, and no matter what happens, don't let them take this heart!"

Kabuterrimon struggled to get to his feet, but it was no use. His human partner knew he was in danger, and moved as quickly as he could; "Quick," Izzy blurted out, "digivolve into Mega Kabuterrimon. We gotta outrun them somehow!"

"Okay," winced Kabuterrimon, and had accomplished his mission in digivolving into the next level.

After that, Armadillomon shook himself awake and with Cody he jumped off of Kabuterrimon's back just as he was digivolving. Once the little Rookie touched ground, it was his turn to change:

"ARMADILLOMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO... VIKEMON!"

Now he was a towering beast of a Mega, with newfound strength within himself. "Now Cody," he warned with a growl. He scooped up his tiny human partner in his gray paw just as Plesiomon tried to reach down and ensnare Cody into his beak.

Then the chase resumed, but this time the teams split up. Plesiomon continued his pursuit on Vikemon, while Magnadramon flew after Mega Kabuterrimon.

Cody tried to pay attention to the direction in which Mega Kabuterrimon was going, so that he could try to relocate his friends in the near future. But that was the least of his problems; Plesiomon might have been built for the sea, but in his state of pure rage and hatred, his body was fast even on dry land.

The last thing Cody could remember hearing was that unfriendly voice behind him screaming, "SAD WATER BLAST!" Then, a **FOOM!**

There seemed to be no peace in the digital world, not even where Matt and Mimi were. And they were in the middle of a temperate forest, surrounded by fresh pine trees and dense fog that made the atmosphere cool and moist as a spring morning.

But they were in no condition to enjoy the view, or even breathe in the fresh cool air, because out of nowhere appeared Sora, TK, Birdramon and Angemon. But they were obviously not themselves, because before they were even made visible through the fog, the glow coming from their red eyes came out of hiding first.

Mimi, Palmon and Gabumon were definitely shaken by this, but perhaps Matt was the most shocked; after all, this was his love interest and his little brother staring him down with dark, unfriendly eyes. And their digimon seemed even scarier, for they were already prepared for battle.

Mimi blinked with trembling eyes, "Sora! ...TK! W-what's going on?"

The darkened Sora replied coldly, "Look at you, Mimi; you can't even control your own composure. No wonder you're so weak."

"What're you talking about, Sora?" asked Matt with narrowed eyes.

TK replied, "We always knew you guys were the weaker half of our team; that's why we decided to split from you. All this time, you were just holding us back. Especially you, Matt."

This made Matt's heart jump with fear; he gasped, "Hey! ...That doesn't sound like you at all, bro."

TK hatefully narrowed his darkened eyes, "Well, you're just gonna have to get used to it, 'bro.' You'll have to face the fact that I don't need you anymore!"

"That's right," agreed Sora; "Before we can go on to take out the Sin Digimon, first we'll have to take out you losers.

Birdramon."

"Angemon."

"Attack!"

And so they did.

Jun and Saberdramon seemed to be unstoppable. Even when going up against two Champions, the giant black bird was definitely in his element as he flew circles around Greymon and ExVeemon.

He had dodged one attack after another, and then would come back with one of his aerial attacks. And when he did, they felt the full force as did the earth at their feet; apparently, Saberdramon's power was doubled (or even tripled) due to the evil force that was behind his and Jun's brainwashing.

Davis was getting particularly frustrated; he was getting up from being knocked to the ground by one of Saberdramon's attacks just seconds earlier when he balled his fists and growled, "We have no choice, Tai; we gotta make our partners digivolve even further!"

Tai was still lying on the ground when he overheard Davis and replied, "I agree..."

"You'll do no such thing, you fools!" This came from a nearby Jun, who took to a hilltop so that she could oversee the battle at a safe distance. She added, "My digimon is now twice as powerful as yours, so nothing you do will be able to stop him! The madness that you've started will end tonight!"

"Jun!" cried out her brother in desperation; "You gotta wake up! We're ot your enemies, we're your friends!"

Tai was then getting to his feet when he suggested, "Maybe if we try to get to her, we could slow Saberdramon down."

Davis heard this and gasped, "Wait! You're not suggesting we fight Jun, are you? She doesn't have battle gear!"

"I know," replied Tai in a weakening voice, "but I'm not suggesting we fight her.

"Listen, Davis; I've been in this situation before. In our first adventure, we had to face off against good digimon that were turned bad by Devimon. He used these things called Black Gears to turn them evil, but we didn't have to destroy them in battle. If I'm right about this, then we can get the old Jun back without even laying a finger on her."

"Use our crests?" repeated Davis, trying to make sure he heard Tai correctly.

"Yeah," nodded his mentor; "I'm sure it'll work! We just gotta get close enough to her..."

But Jun had other plans. She huffed, "You boys better leave now while you still can, or I'll pull out my ultimate weapon."

When she said "ultimate," she meant it quite literally... But the boys weren't paying attention to her warning, which vexed her. So then Jun narrowed her dark eyes and said, "Fine... Saberdramon!"

The black bird glanced at her as she said, "By the power of my Crest of Humility, I order you to digivolve into your Ultimate form!"

"Ultimate form?" gasped the young men on the battleground. They were clearly unprepared for this moment, as were Greymon and ExVeemon. Saberdramon, however, was quite prepared and as his partner commanded, he began to change.

"SABERDRAMON, DIGIVOLVE TO..."

A black cloud appeared out of nowhere and covered up Saberdramon completely. Then it flashed lightning from all sides, and as it did, the lightning became part of the giant bird's transformation. He who was once a giant black bird was becoming an even bigger bird; one much more colorful, and then some.

He had mostly green feathers, with touches of red and yellow ones on his wings, tail and head. He was also becoming biped, with an extra pair of talons that made up a new set of arms and hands. Those arms also had on them individual sets of silver bracelets. And to top it off, his forehead looked a bit cybernetic, as it was crowned with a metal plate.

Once the smoke cleared, he announced his new name: "PARROTMON!"

It was a name that Tai was all too familiar with. All at once, his eyes bulged and the doors of his oldest memories flung open in his mind. Yes, this was one of the first digimon he ever saw... and this one was Jun's partner?

"...I don't believe it," he muttered softly.

While Tai was struggling with his shock, Davis on the other hand was in awe at Saberdramon's new form, "Woah," he muttered; "...Doesn't look as threatening as he seems, huh Tai? ...Tai?"

Tai had to snap out of his brief state of shock to reply to Davis, "Uhh? Oh... yeah. Uh, don't underestimate him just yet, Davis."

Davis looked back at the giant green parrot and wondered, "What's he gonna do, throw a giant cracker at us?"

"SONIC DESTROYER!"

"...Worse," gulped Tai in terror.

**CRA-A-ACK! BOOM!** -A great burst of lightning came to Parrotmon's calling and scraped the earth, taking Tai, Davis and their partners with it. Soon enough, the ground was left with a great, half-mile-long ditch.

As the boys and their digimon paused to try and dig their way out of the dirt they had been buried under, Parrotmon retrieved himself back to Jun, who congratulated him with, "Good. They should be in Dreamland by now."

But her hopes were doused by Davis, who was the first to crawl out of the dirt pile as he moaned, "Ugh... Did anybody get the number of that truck?"

Jun also noticed that Tai, ExVeemon and Greymon were all starting to recover slightly from the attack; she hissed, "Now they're just asking for it."

"This isn't working," panted Tai as he started to dust himself; "He's too strong."

"Yeah," Davis agreed; "we can't even get near Jun; not with that oversized lightning rod of hers."

Just then, Tai was struck by lightning- of the mental kind. He blinked, "I think I just got an idea... It's crazy, but it might work."

"Well, spill it, Einstein!" demanded Davis.

Tai explained, "I've seen Parrotmon before, and I know I'm not the only one. We gotta get outta here and find the others. But we also have to make sure Jun and Parrotmon follow us."

"Why?"

"Just trust me..."

Davis glanced over to the exhausted digimon Champions for their opinions; Greymon replied, "Well, Plan A's not working; what've we got to lose?"

"Yeah," agreed ExVeemon as he rubbed his clobbered head, "let's regroup or whatever. I don't think my head can take much more!"

So the deal was done; Greymon made the upgrade to Metal Greymon, then with their human partners in tow, the winged heroes took flight in haste.

Jun crossed her arms and chuckled as she watched them flee; "He-heh... This is just too easy. Come, Parrotmon; let's crash their party."

The giant bird picked her up into his hand-like talon, and off into the sky they took. They didn't know it, but they were taking Tai's bait.

Matt and Mimi and their digimon were getting hammered for a good twenty minutes. Half of the temperate forest they were in was leveled and burning, thanks to the dark powers of Birdramon and Angemon. As much as it hurt them to do it, Garurumon and Togemon fought back, but their powers paled in comparison to that of their former friends.

But just when all hope seemed lost, the fighting suddenly stopped. By then, Matt and Mimi were hiding in a ditch near the battlefield, and were bruised and covered in dust.

Matt was the first to open his eyes and take a look around in reaction to the sudden stillness in the atmosphere. "Uhh... wha?" he mumbled in curiosity.

He peeked out from his hiding place to see Birdramon and Angemon standing over the unconscious duo of Garurumon and Togemon. They probably could have finished them off right there, but for some reason they were as still as statues.

Matt turned to face his corrupted human friends, Sora and TK, who were hovering in the air in their dark battle gear.

Then he heard Sora say, "This was too easy."

"Come on," TK then said, "there's another fight with our names on it." And then just like that, the four of them- Sora, Birdramon, TK and Angemon- vanished without a trace.

This was the perfect time for Matt to crawl out of hiding and awaken his friends. He first ran over to his own partner, the giant wolf-like Champion named Garurumon, and starts to shake him as he gasped, "Come on! Guys! We gotta get outta here!"

Garurumon slowly opened his yellow eyes and winced in pain; "Errr," he moaned softly.

Then Mimi quickly got to her feet and moved toward her giant cactus friend; "Togemon!" she blurted out. "Are you alright?"

"U-ugh," replied the dazed cactus with boxing gloves; "Did you get the number of that truck?" She then paused to rub her prickly head with her right glove.

Matt glanced over to them from where he and Garurumon were and asked loudly, "Are you girls okay?"

The giant cactus sat up and replied, "Yeah, but... we're really confused! I mean, why would our own friends attack us like that?"

"I don't know," Matt gave a frown; "...I'm willing to bet that the real bad guys are behind this. We gotta find them and... and get them back somehow."

"But how?" Mimi softly asked; she was obviously shaken from the battle, as they all were, but the shakiness in her voice gave away her fear. "Matt, I don't wanna fight our friends; they could get hurt. ...Or worse."

"Mimi," replied Matt in a much more stable voice, "I don't wanna fight them either... But what if we don't have a choice?"

Hearing this made Mimi's skin crawl; was what Matt said true, she wondered? Would the fighting amongst friends get even worse? Then she banished all further negative thinking from her mind.

The next thing Mimi knew, Matt's, hands were on her shoulders; it made her jump slightly in surprise. "Listen, Mimi," he began to console, "I know how hard this is; it's hard for me too. But we can't let them get away with this- and by them, I mean those Sin Digimon! If they used their powers to turn our friends evil, then we'll just use our own powers to make them good again."

"What?" blinked the confused Mimi; "I don't understand..."

Then her friend explained, "Look. We got these new battle crests; they're just like our old crests, only stronger! I know we can use them to bring our friends back."

Then Mimi understood, and all at once her fears and worries began to vanish. She clutched tightly onto her new Crest of Sincerity and nodded, "You're right, Matt. We should use them."

"Then let's get this show on the road!" That was Garurumon talking; he had been recovering from his injuries while the humans were conspiring. Now that he was on his feet, the big tiger-striped wolf was ready to go.

"Good," replied his human partner.

Then the humans mounted onto their Champion friends, who soon became their Ultimate counterparts, and took off in a flash.

At a time when the digital world was facing a great imbalance of nature, Cody and Armadillomon were at peace. This was about an hour after they were attacked by their friends Joe, Kari and their digimon partners.

The land around them was damaged more badly than they were, as they laid helplessly in a ditch made by Plesiomon's last attack. But as the dust had settled, there were no more disturbances in the area, and therefore the two heroes were allowed to sleep peacefully.

...But in time, they woke up and realized that they weren't alone. Floating in the air above them with his golden pendulum in his chained arms was Slothmon, smiling down at them with lazy black eyes.

Cody winced as he forced himself to regain full consciousness, and upon seeing the ghostly Sin he moaned. Slothmon blinked, "Well, well. For somebody so young and small, you've sure got a lotta spunk. ...That goes for both of you." When he said that, he glanced at Armadillomon, who was weakly starting to crawl out of the ditch.

"...Sloth-mon?" Cody presumed weakly as he started to push himself upward. The Sin smiled and bowed, "The one and only." "What do you want?" narrowed the eyes of Armadillomon.

Slothmon replied, "What I want is not that uncommon to what you want."

"What do you mean?" winced Cody.

Slothmon explained, "What you had just gone through was just a taste of what's to come. Your so-called friends are on my side now, and it's only going to get worse from here... But if your luck is as good as it always has been, then you'll get them back. But you have something that I want back; my brother's heart."

"Your... brother?"

"Heh-heh-heh... We Sins are not as heartless as you'd think, Cody Hida. We were all born under the same program, and therefore we Sins are like family. So it's only natural for me to make sure that Gluttonymon's heart is returned safe and sound."

The little armadillo growled, "And what makes you think we'll just hand it over to you?"

The Sin narrowed his black eyes, "I'm giving you a chance to escape with your lives, and all I ask for in return is my brother's heart! Is that not an act of justice? Isn't Justice what you stand for, little one?"

"We can't just give it back," replied Cody with a stronger tone of voice; "You'll just use it to bring back Gluttonymon."

"You want your own friends back, don't you?" asked Slothmon, as if he was preparing a bribe.

But Cody was relentless in his resistance; "I can get my friends back without your help... I'm sorry, Slothmon, but just because you share a kinship with Gluttonymon doesn't mean he's worth saving!"

Then Slothmon's eyes bulged wide open- wider than they ever had before. He was insulted... and now he was mad.

He growled, "I offered you a chance; my brother's heart for your lives. Now you leave me no choice..."

Then the ghostly Sin floated higher and higher in the air until he had enough room to pull from out of nowhere his massive golden pendulum. It unleashed its two double-edged blades before he gripped onto its middle like a baseball bat. Then as he prepared to swing it at them, Slothmon hissed, "If you will not give me that heart, I'll take it by force!"

He swung it.

_**SHING! -CRACK!**_

For once, Slothmon was too fast for his own good…

"NO-O-O-O!"

Cody was prepared for Slothmon's attack, and just as the pendulum was swung at him, the preteen shielded himself with the heart of Gluttonymon, which was beforehand kept secretly under his shirt. And by the time Slothmon had realized what had happened, the damage was done.

Slothmon continued to wail in horror as Cody and Armadillomon took the chance to scramble out of the ditch. While they did so, Cody cunningly grabbed onto a small piece of the shattered topaz heart, knowing fully well that even if Slothmon were to recover all of the pieces, he would need all of them, and one missing piece would make all the difference.

By the time they got to their feet at last, Slothmon glared his black eyes at them with a look of fury in his whole face. He roared, "You... How could you? Now I will make you suffer!"

With that, he swung his giant pendulum at them again, and this time he didn't miss his target. Cody and his partner were thrown back by a force of wind that came with the pendulum's swing, and crashed roughly into a brush. The rest of the earth that met with Slothmon's pendulum was erased.

Slothmon then hovered in the air toward the brush where the human and the Rookie digimon were last spotted; they were now hidden in bushes. Still driven by his anger, Slothmon raised up his weapon again and hissed, "Now you will see why I like to do things nice... and slowly..." He swung the pendulum again...

But this time, it clashed with a giant red insectoid's claw.

"What?" gasped Slothmon in surprise; his attack was blocked by Mega Kabuterrimon, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. Or perhaps the others were so caught up in their little scuffle, they didn't pay attention to his return to the valley.

Slothmon flew himself backward to retaliate, while Izzy looked down at his earthbound friends from atop his partner's massive shoulderline; "Hey, guys! Are you alright?" he yelled.

"Izzy," coughed Cody; "...Where... How'd you get here so fast?"

The redhead explained quickly, "I was being chased for about an hour, and then all of a sudden Magnadramon just disappeared! I came back as soon as I could."

"You've arrived too late," hissed the ghostly Slothmon, who shook off his shock over seeing Mega Kabuterrimon.

The Ultimate insect himself then asked, "Why do you say that?"

The Sin replied with a grin, "Your so-called friends are gathering their forces for an even greater battle. Soon they'll take out all your remaining allies in one fell swoop, leaving you two at the mercy of my brethren! Heh-heh."

"Where are they?" Izzy demanded to know as he narrowed his eyes at Slothmon.

Slothmon replied, "Patience... You'll know where they're going soon enough. But as for you two, I have unfinished business..." He was of course talking about reclaiming the Sin hearts, for as he spoke, his pendulum's scythe blade extended itself magically.

"Sorry," Izzy apologized, "but I dropped Wrathmon's heart somewhere in the wilderness while I was being chased around."

Cody nodded, "And there's no way you can get Gluttonymon back, because his heart- pardon the pun- is broken!"

The Sin hissed again, and as he did he showed his true nature as an evil being by having his eyes flash white for an instant.

But then he calmed down and sighed softly, "Ehh... So be it then. I'll look for Wrathmon's heart as soon as I gather up all the pieces of Gluttonymon's... And if you're as wise as you'd like to believe you are, you boys will leave while I'm preoccupied!"

Cody paused for a minute to contemplate Slothmon's behavior; this lazy Sin proved himself to be a formidable opponent earlier, so why didn't he just finish them off? _"...Could he have been serious when he said he cared about his 'brothers?'"_ he wondered to himself. Perhaps there was much more to these so-called Sins than it seemed.

But Izzy took Slothmon's advice almost instantly; "Come on, Cody!" he insisted; "We gotta find the others before it's too late."

"Right," nodded his friend. Then Mega Kabuterrimon gathered up his little friends, Cody and Armadillomon, into his arms, then fled into the air as quickly as he could.

Meanwhile, Slothmon watched them leave and began to do as he said he would do; gather up all of the shattered pieces of his brother's shattered heart. Little did he know, there would be one piece missing.

Time was quickly slipping away like sands in an hourglass; still, Yolei and her friends had to move fast. They had lost sight of Ken a while ago, but they were sure that they were on the right track. It was only when they had reached the very edge of the continent in the far West that they had stopped.

Yolei, who in her battle gear while leading Aquilamon and Wormmon, paused to stare blankly at the ocean that had been laid out ahead of her on the beach. A storm was obviously brewing, for the sky was pitch black and there was thunder rolling in the air. But what was even more disturbing to her was the fact that the sea itself was black and stormy. She could have sworn she was seeing a tornado of seawater rising above the waves.

"Yolei," gasped Aquilamon in mid-air, "what is that?"

"It looks like a hurricane," gulped Wormmon, who acted as Aquilamon's passenger.

The young lady gulped in reply as fear crept into her eyes; "It's worse than that... I think what Lustmon said is already coming true..." And she knew what that meant; the digital world was losing control of its elements. The Digi-Keepers were weakening.

The young lady then turned to her friends and said, "Guys, we're running out of time! We gotta get the word out to the others about this!"

"About what?" Aquilamon asked.

"Don't you remember?" Yolei replied; "The Digi-Keepers can't hold off the darkness without us, so we gotta get the gang back together! And I think I know how to do that..."

She then wasted no time in reaching for the Crest of Faith that hung around her neck like a piece of jewelry. With all her heart, she concentrated, thus falling into state of meditation.

The digimon watched intently as a warm blue light started to wrap around their human friend like a halo. Then like a beacon, the light emerged into the sky, acting as a signal that was meant for all to see.

And as it turned out, many had seen it. Matt and Mimi saw it from miles away due North, and far off in the distance, Davis and Tai saw it on their way from the East. Both teams confirmed amongst themselves that it was a call for help, and without wasting another moment, they took off for it in a hurry.

And speaking of Davis and Tai...

"Remind me again why we need Parrotmon to follow us!" pleaded Davis to Tai, as he was being carried by Paildramon while Tai was being carried by Metal Greymon. They were speeding through the air at great velocity, and for good reason.

Tai's mind was already made up, and it was too late to turn back at that point. He knew that he would not have been the only Digi-Destined to be taken by surprise by Parrotmon's appearance; that was all part of his plan.

"Because!" answered Tai loudly; "It's a little complicated, and I would explain it more, but right now you're just gonna have to trust me!"

"Oh, I trust you!" nodded the younger Digi-Destined nearby.

Then, **ZAP!** Paildramon and Metal Greymon were being shot at by lightning bolts caused by the giant green bird that was hot on their tail.

Then Davis gritted his teeth in reaction of narrowly escaping doom; "It's the overgrown Polly behind us that I don't trust!"

Once they realized how close Parrotmon was to them, Paildramon and Metal Greymon had no choice but to fly faster than before. And speed up they did, toward the bright blue beacon they saw in the sky.

Well, it wasn't quite the "Bat signal," but Yolei's crest did give off an impressively strong beam of sky blue light that touched the blackening sky of the digital plain she and her friends were at. It was the only light that would be seen in the sky, for by this time there was no longer a sun.

Yolei was hoping that her power of Faith would draw her friends to her, but at the same time she feared that it would also attract her enemies. She just had to take that risk.

Hawkmon watched guard from atop a sloping hill when he finally spotted a few dot-sized figures soaring in the air; he jumped, "Yolei, someone's coming! Your light's working!"

"Good," smiled his nearby partner; her body started shaking, which was a sign that she was putting just about all of her energy into this signal.

Hawkmon then took a closer look at who was arriving at the scene, and his eyes picked up the sight of thunderbolts. He blinked with shock, wondering if a terrible storm was coming their way.

It would be much worse than a storm; it was Parrotmon.

Tai and company were nearly at their destination, just a few miles from Yolei and company, when a great thunderbolt from Parrotmon singed Metal Greymon's backside. The cyborg-dinosaur roared in pain as he was forced to skid into the ground, taking Tai with him.

"Tai! Metal Greymon!" gasped Davis, who made ExVeemon pause in mid-air to watch their friends crash.

This crash caught the attention of Yolei and friends. "Oh no!" gasped the young lady; "Quick, you guys! We gotta go help them!"

"Right," nodded Hawkmon, then he quickly digivolved into his Champion form, Aquilamon.

Wormmon was left to remain a Rookie, so Yolei scooped him up into her arms as she mounted her oversized partner's back. Aquilamon launched himself into the air, soaring as quickly as he could to the place where Tai and Metal Greymon crash-landed.

The area in which the crash took place was already being made into a crater, thanks to the battle heating up between Parrotmon and the now-digivolved Paildramon. One attack after another vaporized the already-dried up and crusty earth.

Then just as Parrotmon ensnared Paildramon's neck with his right talon, Aquilamon intervened with, "BLAST RINGS!" The circular laser beams slammed into the parrot's back, knocking him off balance and leaving him stunned.

Paildramon was released, giving him and Metal Greymon a moment to breathe. That's when Aquilamon made a soft landing nearby.

"Yolei!" cheered Davis, who with Tai ran to his human friend; "Great timing, girlfriend!"

Yolei gave Davis a friendly high-five as she replied, "Thanks!" Then she curiously glanced over to see the new Ultimate digimon; "So, who's that?"

"Parrotmon," replied Tai; "He's actually Penguinmon's Ultimate form."

"No way!" gasped Yolei; "Does that mean… they're ALL bad now?"

"…All bad?" blinked Davis; "Whaddya mean?"

Yolei narrowed her eyes in frustration to Davis; "Didn't you hear my monologue in the beginning?"

Davis then gave her a look as if she were growing a second head; "…What?"

"Nevermind," she sighed as she straightened her glasses. Then she explained, "When we found Ken, he was turned evil by Lustmon. We tried to get him back, but he disappeared."

Tai gulped, "That means we gotta end up fighting him, Jun, and all the others that ran away!"

"No kidding, Sherlock." This was Jun's voice, coming out of nowhere.

The trio of earth-bound Digi-Destined glanced around in curiosity, before they realized that Jun was now standing atop Parrotmon's claw. The two of them were now in mid-air, and with them appeared nearly every other corrupted Digi-Destined; Sora and Birdramon, TK and Angemon, Kari and Magnadramon, and Joe and Plesiomon.

Sora then grinned at Yolei with evil eyes, "Thanks for the beacon back there, Yolei; now we can all get together and have an all-out melee."

Yolei grimaced, "That's not why I did that! I thought we could reason with you guys…"

"You thought wrong," TK frowned. "There's only one way to end this, and that's if we fight!"

Meanwhile, atop a plateau not too far off in the distance, a few of the Sin digimon- Pridemon, Greedmon and Lustmon- had turned up to witness for themselves what could have been the battle of the century; the battle to end all battles.

Elsewhere, in yet another remote part of the wasteland, a lone Ken was settling down on a hilltop to watch the battle in curiosity. He had no idea who these warriors on the battlefield were, or which ones he was supposed to root for. All he knew was, it was going to be a thrilling battle.

But Tai had other plans; there was going to be a battle, alright, but not the one everyone was expecting. He balled his fists as he said to his friends, "Guys, clear the field. Get as far away as you can."

"What?" Davis blinked; "But why?"

"Just do it," commanded his leader in a stern tone.

How were Davis and Yolei to argue with that? They took to their digimon partners, and took a flying leap into the sky.

Angemon and Magnadramon tried to cut them off, when they heard Kari say, "Let them go… This should be interesting." She then glared intently at her earth-bound brother; she knew he had a scheme hatching, and seeing it fall to pieces would have been most pleasing.

Tai and turned over to his crippling partner and asked, "You ready, Metal Greymon?"

The bionic dinosaur shook off the pain he received from Parrotmon's thunderbolts and growled, "I'm ready."

"Now… De-digivolve!"

"WHAT?" Davis and Yolei couldn't believe their ears. Did Tai just command Metal Greymon to weaken himself?

Metal Greymon did just as he was told; in a flash of white light, he shed his silver armor and whatnot to become Greymon, a mere T-Rex with a bony brown face plate as his only shield.

"Idiots," mocked Jun; she then turned over to Parrotmon and commanded, "Wipe the floor with him."

Her partner then gently set her onto the ground before charging toward Greymon at full force. Once their claws locked, the ground shook violently.

Parrotmon's force was enough to push Greymon back a few feet; his claws dug into the ground and scraped it like a massive rake. Greymon wasn't quite the pussycat that Parrotmon expected him to be, for within seconds, the dinosaur buckled down and stopped himself from being pushed any further.

Then he grabbed Parrotmon by the arm faster than Parrotmon could ever anticipate, and threw the Ultimate over his shoulder like a pro wrestler. When the giant bird hit the ground, it quaked.

Greymon then tried to pick up the giant green bird in an attempt to slam him into the ground again, but Parrotmon spread his wings to escape the dinosaur's clutches. Then he whipped himself around to face the dinosaur head on and scratched at him aggressively.

Greymon tried to back off, but not before one of Parrotmon's swipes got him in the chest. Ironically, it was in the same area he was previously plated as Metal Greymon.

Neither the corrupted Ultimate nor the benevolent Champion would dare use one of their special attacks; this was a noble one-on-one battle, a true test of strength and endurance. The only way they could save their energy was to take as many light yet effective hits as possible. They would tussle like this for a few moments longer, when Tai's plan finally started to take shape.

"Stupid fools," hissed the nearby Sora, who stood atop her Phoenix-like Champion with content at her former friends. "You think a little wrestling match is gonna-"

And she stopped there. Her mind had suddenly frozen, as if lightning had struck it unexpectedly. Her blackened eyes were now beaming with familiarity that was just too powerful to ignore. As she stared hazily at Greymon and Parrotmon throwing each other around, Sora's sense of awareness started to grow.

"Wait… I know this. …I've seen it before."

All of a sudden, TK, Kari and Joe were all mimicking the same shock as Sora, as they too were beginning to experience an unsettling deja-vu. There _was _something strangely familiar about the fight they were witnessing, and it made them stunned.

"That's it," muttered an Earth-bound Tai, as he smiled up at his corrupted friends. "Come on guys, think! Remember, these were the first two digimon we ever saw. We were just kids back then, but we never forgot about it! That was the night that changed our lives forever! You have to let it sink in that we're all a team!"

Pridemon, as well as her present "siblings," winced with worry. This was something they weren't counting on seeing; their plan, it seemed, did have at least one loophole to it, and Tai Kamiya was exploiting it. Together with Lustmon and Greedmon, she watched with gritted teeth as their grip on the corrupted humans was slowly starting to slip.

But Tai's plan wasn't without its glitches; he knew that the witnesses of the '98 duel could possibly snap out of their hypnosis… but there was one corrupt Digi-Destined who did not witness the age-old duel, and that was Jun. And she just happened to be Parrotmon's partner.

Jun's eyes were darkened with a sense of pure hatred and rage; "What are you waiting for, Parrotmon? Hit him with everything you've got!"

Usually, Davis wasn't one to think so quickly; however, he knew what was about to happen, and he wasn't going to let it. "Jun, NO!" With that, he darted toward his sister, while an orb of golden light began to form around him, indicating that he was about to summon his Battle Gear.

Blinded by his loyalty to Jun, Parrotmon obeyed; "SONIC DESTROYER!"

But Greymon was prepared to counter-attack: "NOVA BLAST!"

**CRA-A-ACK-BOOM!**

It was as if a nuclear bomb went off on that battlefield; the scene was suddenly erased by a blinding light which followed the explosion. Then there was almost complete darkness, thanks to a suffocating blanket of smoke that was created from the vaporization of precious earth.

Within a matter of minutes, the cloud of smoke that covered the scene gave way, revealing two beaten and unconscious Rookies, Agumon and Penguinmon.

Those that were near them on the ground- that would be Tai, Yolei, Aquilamon, Wormmon and Paildramon- were thrown for a loop and a half due to the impact, and were now several feet away, halfway buried in dirt. Paildramon and Aquilamon had reverted back into their Rookie forms, as Agumon and Penguinmon did.

Those who were hovering in the air with their digimon partners at the time of the explosion were still in the air, only now they were all distracted and disoriented by the cloud of smoke that nearly suffocated them.

The first of these former heroes to awaken from her shock was Kari; while placed atop the head of Magnadramon, she rubbed her eyes open to see if Greymon was still there. To her dismay, it was Agumon who resided in his place. But still, there was within her a strong need to blow a whistle, or call out his name, to wake him up.

As for Davis and Jun, they were now safe in the air as well, thanks to Davis's Battle Gear. He had summoned it just in time to scoop his sister up into his arms and take flight, thus finding a relatively safe place to avoid serious damage from the explosion. When the smoke finally cleared, Davis opened up his red Imperial Dramon-like wings to check on his dazed sister.

"Jun?" he blinked worriedly; "You okay, sis? …Come on, now's not a good time to be playin' around. Speak to me!"

Jun fluttered her eyes open with a peep, "Uhh… Penguin-mon?" She was obviously affected by her digimon's clash with Greymon; her eyes weren't as dark as they were moments before.

This was the opportunity Davis had been hoping for; "Hang on sis," he said softly, "it's gonna be alright. Just trust me this one time."

"…Davis?"

"Nobility's light, energize!"

Davis's Crest of Nobility shined like a flashlight, giving off a warm golden light that could have been mistaken for sunrays. As it did once before, to Wrathmon's Power Spine, the crest unleashed its power on Jun, giving her an angelic halo for a few moments before disappearing into thin air. Then Davis had to make a quick landing back on earth, for his power was almost completely lost already.

Tai, Agumon, Yolei, Hawkmon and Wormmon were all waking from their moment of unconsciousness just in time to see Davis lay Jun down on the ground to help her recuperate.

Tai was the first to make speed toward them; when he finally reached them he panted, "Is… is she okay?"

Before Davis could even answer, Jun sat right up and slowly rubbed her head with a moan. She then opened her eyes widely; they were brown again. "…Tai? Davis?" were her first words, and for once her voice sounded as it did long before she underwent the terrible change of heart.

Davis saw the difference in his sister's face and eyes; he knew she was the old Jun again. He cheered, "Jun! You're back!" Then he couldn't help but give her a big hug, one that took her almost completely by surprise.

Just as Jun was regaining her old self, so was her chubby little partner Penguinmon; he too was sitting up at this point, rubbing his own head with a flappy flipper for a hand. As his eyes rolled around in confusion, he moaned, "Ugh Doctor, aspirin makes me all drowsy."

He was then welcomed by a smiling Agumon, who was as dusty and dizzy as his penguin friend; "Hey, buddy! Welcome back." Penguinmon replied with a humble smile.

Then Tai heard these words coming from above, "Koromon? …No, that's… not him. Where is he?"

He looked up, and there was his sister Kari, still torn between her true self and the dark influence by Pridemon. She started to hold her head in frustration as she muttered, "No, it's not him! It's not _my_ Koromon, he's gone!"

"Kari," blinked Tai in surprise. He realized then and there that his plan, though not for everybody, had actually worked.

"He's gone!" she shouted to herself.

"Kari!" Tai shouted, "Hold on, I'm gonna get you back!" Then he held up his own battle crest, aiming it toward his sister, and shouted, "Courage's light, energize!"

"No!" growled an enraged Pridemon from just a few miles away. She and her present siblings watched as yet another one of their victims was purified by the light of a battle crest. "Not again, not another one…" But it was too late.

In seconds, the Kari and Gatomon that everyone knew and loved were back to the way they were, before Pridemon's influence took over. As Kari's partner de-digivolved back into her Champion form, she and Kari herself floated downward, back onto the ground. They were then greeted by their old friends, who were all too happy to see them. Respectfully, Tai and Agumon were most happy.

But three darkened souls and three fierce-looking digimon remained, and they were Sora, TK and Joe, with Birdramon, Angemon and Plesiomon. Tai's plan only worked on them for a few short moments, but now they had reverted back into their hypnosis.

Greedmon turned to his elegant sister and frowned, "We better get out of here, before they spot us."

Pridemon sneered at his sudden need of retreat and hissed, "No! We're not finished yet; I will not lose another servant!"

And with that tone, she raised her outrageously long-fingered hand in the air and from her hand sparked a ball of black electricity, which was actually an essence of pure evil. Then she launched it in the air as if it were a baseball; like a comet it soared, soon to collide with the Digi-Destined that remained airborne. Once it did hit them, they reacted as if they were struck by lightning.

This caught the attention of the heroes bound to the ground; "What is that?" gasped Yolei, who seemed to be the first to spot something wrong.

Kari looked up and saw that her friends, those she stood beside just moments earlier, were now being engulfed by what seemed to be black electricity. She gasped in horror, "Oh no… It's happening again, they're becoming evil again!"

How right she was; once the black zapping series was over, Sora, TK and Joe awoke with black, unfriendly eyes. And their digimon looked even more wicked; their eyes were now glowing red, and even their body colorings were darker in tone.

"Now," said TK in a tone of voice completely unlike his original, "prepare to feel a wrath unlike none you've ever seen! Angemon, warp-digivolve!"

"You too, Birdramon," commanded Sora.

The earth-bound heroes watched helplessly as their former digimon friends then dark-digivolved before their eyes. Originally, Birdramon would become Phoenixmon, and Angemon would become Seraphimon. But this transformation was much different; this one involved dark fire and blue lightning.

Davis gulped, for he and the others would soon see that Birdramon had now become Black Phoenixmon, and Angemon had become Shadow Seraphimon. Both of these new Megas seemed alike when compared to their counterparts, except that these two were obviously darker and meaner. They were now completely taken over by the forces of evil, just like their human partners.

"No," Yolei muttered with sad eyes, "it can't be!"

Kari frowned, "Just look at them! Those are our friends…"

Jun then hung her head in shame, "And to think that was us just a minute ago."

But then Tai spoke up and said, "Okay, there's no time to feel sorry; we gotta use all the power we've got to get these guys back!"

"Not a chance," hissed TK, who now stood beside Joe on the back of a darker and fiercer Plesiomon; "Your pathetic jewelry can't do anything now; we're on the side of darkness, now and forever!"

"NO!"

Tai blinked in shock; that was Matt's voice! Sure enough, he and his friends glanced over to their far right, and there in the sky was Metal Garurumon. On his back rode Matt, Mimi and Palmon. They must have been flying at great speed from the forest region to this now barren wasteland.

"It's Matt and Mimi!" cheered Yolei.

Metal Garurumon landed quickly to let Matt, Mimi and Palmon jump to the ground. There was no time for warm welcomes, for Matt was too focused on seeing what his little brother had now become.

Matt stepped forward and looked TK right in the eyes; "…TK," he whimpered, "what happened to you?"

Coldly, TK replied, "Oh, I'm just fine, 'bro.' In fact, I'm even better!"

"Look at you! …Look at your digimon! You've both turned into monsters. You've got to stop this-"

"Save it, Matt! You were given your chance to feel what it's like to have true power, but instead you've proven to be too weak and unworthy!"

"Wait… is this about the tests the Sins gave us?"

"That's right, and you failed yours miserably!"

Meanwhile, Kari looked to Tai for answers; "Tai, isn't there anything we can do now? Can't we use all our crests this time?"

Tai replied, "We can try, Kari, but it might not be that easy."

But Matt's brother hissed at them, "Fools; that trick will never work again. It's all over for you. Finish them, Shadow Seraphimon!"

The Mega digimon who would be an angel, now a fallen version of his former self, performed his own version of, "STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!"

This attack was normally made up of seven gold orbs of light; now they were orbs of darkness, and their power would be as effective as that of small meteorites upon the earth. That's just what they did too; everyone on the ground had to scatter before they were bombarded by small black meteorites.

There was only one team who stood their ground at that moment, and that was Matt and Metal Garurumon. The giant robotic wolf shielded his human partner from the attack; luckily the wolf took very little damage.

Tai, Davis and Yolei and their digimon were soon pursued by Black Phoenixmon, while Jun, Kari and their digimon were being chased by Plesiomon. This series of chaotic attacks would cause a series of craters and even an earthquake that was enough to make even the far off Ken and the Sin Digimon run for cover. But this madness would come to a halt very soon.

"TK," warned a frustrated Matt as he and Metal Garurumon dared to stand their ground against TK and Shadow Seraphimon; "I'm warning you, don't push me to fight you! 'Cause if that's the only way I can get to you, then so be it!"

"Finally," snickered TK, "I've been waiting for this."

The two of them then instantly summoned their Battle Gear; just as Seraphimon's new form was dark and fearsome, now so was TK's Angemon-based Battle Gear. Matt's WereGarurumon armor, however, remained as it always was.

TK made the first move by dive-bombing Matt, who used his newfound dexterity to jump as far back as his Ultimate counterpart could. While Matt's Battle Gear had only claw-plated gloves for weapons, TK had a staff and a whip-like sash at his disposal, plus he had torn wings that were capable of flight. Already, the fight was one-sided.

Meanwhile, Shadow Seraphimon and Metal Garurumon had their own battle going on; both Megas could fly, but Matt's partner was at his own disadvantage because he wasn't as agile as the humanoid. While the robotic wolf had to accurately aim his missiles, the fallen angel could simply float around at lightning speed and drop-kick the wolf in the back, and so on.

But then Metal Garurumon had it; "That's it," he growled. "You wanna piece of me? Here, try this: ICE WOLF BITE!"

This attack was a series of heat-seeking missiles that could never miss their target; this would be the one and only attack that Shadow Seraphimon would suffer from. In fact, it even caused him to crash land.

At the same time, Matt used his intense agility to grab hold of TK's snake-like sash and wrap it around TK's own neck in a counter-attack. Matt then reeled his brother in like a fish and grabbed tightly onto his arms.

"Alright, lil' bro," Matt said with gritted teeth, "you asked for this…" Then he attempted to purify his own sibling as Davis and Jun had theirs as he began to say, "Friendship's light-"

"Never!" roared TK. With that, a black halo glazed over him, followed by a static force that shocked Matt right off kilter. Matt went falling onto his back after being pushed a few feet back by TK's sudden burst of energy.

Aside from Metal Garurumon, all of Matt's friends were far off, making him all too vulnerable to what fate had decided for him. Matt dared to get up, but his corrupted brother had suddenly pinned him down with a drop kick. He was at TK's mercy.

"Now, Shadow Seraphimon," commanded the fallen angel's master, "finish him for good."

The fallen angel took flight immediately with newfound strength, and did just as TK had told him to. He raised his arms in the air and summoned his orbs of pure darkness, and this time they were aimed at the fallen Digi-Destined. "STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!"

They were launched.

"Matt! No-o-o!" howled a scratched-up Metal Garurumon.

He had just enough strength to dive-bomb toward Matt, thus shielding his partner from harm.

**FOOM!**

There was a moment of silence before Matt finally peeped, "Uhh… M-Metal Garurumon?"

There was no response from Matt's partner, not at first.

"Garurumon!" Matt yelled louder this time.

"…Matt," he finally heard; Metal Garurumon's voice was unusually weak and soft. He was hurting.

"No," Matt whimpered, as he scrambled to get up. But it was no use; he was accidentally pinned at the knees by his shield for a partner.

Matt sat up and looked more closely at Metal Garurumon's injuries; the Mega's body seemed faint and out of focus, like a television channel with a poor frequency. It was a sign that the robotic wolf would not be able to take much more abuse.

…But he would have to.

"Now!" TK shouted to his fellow fallen ones; "While he's down, hit him with everything you've got!"

"CRIMSON FLAME!"

**BOOM!**

"No, stop it!" Matt pleaded.

"SAD WATER BLAST!"

**WHOOSH!**

"Stop it, you're KILLING HIM!"

"STRIKE…"

"TK, please."

"OF THE SEVEN…"

"Don't do it! Please!"

"STARS!"

**FOOM!**

By the time Tai and the others had finally arrived in hopes to stop the massacre, it was already too late. Metal Garurumon had taken one massive attack after another, and all at the hands of his former friends. And as if that weren't heartbreaking enough, the first and last of those attacks were at the hands of his partner's own brother. It was hard to tell which was suffering more, Matt or Metal Garurumon.

At least for Metal Garurumon, the suffering wouldn't last much longer, for his body was already beginning to deteriorate. Like all data in a computer, he was digitizing into nothing. He was being deleted.

All those who cared deeply for the beaten digimon watched with heavy hearts, as Matt finally found his way out of Metal Garurumon's grip. He crawled up the big wolf's claw to look him face to face, perhaps for the last time.

"Matt," he weakly purred, "…I'm so sorry. I failed."

Matt was fighting back tears while he gulped, "Please… Please don't give up. I need you. We all need you…"

The wolf fought to keep his eyes open so he could stare at Matt; he murmured, "It's okay, Matt… I'm sure I'll be back… someday."

"You can't! You can't leave me, you're…" He sniffled, "you're my best friend."

"You're my best friend, too… That's why… I did…"

"Garurumon?"

"……"

"GARURUMON!"

But there would be no response left from Metal Garurumon; he had spent his last breath. In a strange and bright fizz, he was vaporized into the air.

While the heroes began to grieve in silence, the corrupted ones quietly congratulated themselves before finally disappearing. It seemed as though the only ones that remained were the Digi-Destined and their remaining partners.

Everyone gave Matt his space so that he could mourn his loss, and mourn it he did by slamming his still clawed fists in the ground and howling, "NO-O-O-O! …This can't be happening! …Not Gabumon…" Then he started sobbing.

Then a cold chill filled the air, the kind of chill that would fit a more haunting scene, such as a graveyard on Halloween night. It was the sign that things were changing; the digi-world was changing.

One loss in the Digi-Destined family was all it took to knock nature itself off balance. There would be seas turning black, forests robbed of their leaves and grasses, and skies ravaged with tornadoes and sand storms. Digimon everywhere tried to flee for their lives, knowing a certain doom was engulfing the world, but they had nowhere to go, for nowhere was safe.

Digimon and Digi-Destined alike were now facing the hard fact that the Digi-Keepers, Gaiamon, Oceanamon and Polarimon, had lost all their powers. And the digital world as they knew it was coming to an end.

TO BE CONTINUED


	27. Crossovers

"When we finally found our missing friends, we realized they've been taken in by the Sin Digimon and turned evil! We've faced this kind of problem before, and I knew that the power of our Battle Crests could reverse the spell put on our friends. My plan started to work, and we got Jun and Kari back; but Pridemon's power was too strong on the others, and they ended up destroying Metal Garurumon. Now that the bond between us is officially over, the Digi-Keepers no longer control the Digital World!"

-Tai

**DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA**

**Book Twenty-Four: "Crossovers"**

The process was slow, but steady; a thick layer of darkness was beginning to blanket the digital world, and wherever it settled, there was chaos.

It swept through sea and land like the wind, or more accurately, like a computer virus.

When it touched the sea, a series of hurricanes and tornadoes appeared with blind fury.

When it touched the mountains, some would crack open and spurt out balls of magma and rivers of lava.

When it touched the forests, everything that was once green crumbled to dust.

Digimon everywhere- whether they were Data, Vaccine or even Virus- were fleeing for their lives. Some escaped their impending doom, while others dissolved in the wake of volcanic debris, or thunder, or tornadoes, depending on where they were.

And yet, even during all this turmoil, there was at least one voice that seemed like it could be heard throughout the digital world, with a tone so peaceful and hopeful it nearly blocked out all despair.

It was coming from Yolei… she was sitting on a log near her weakened friends, who were all hiding in one of many desolate forests. And she was singing.

("I Shall Believe," by Cheryl Crow)

"_Come to me now_

_And lay your hands over me_

_Even if it's a lie_

_Say it will be alright_

_And I shall believe_

_I'm broken in two_

_And I know you're on to me_

_That I only come home_

_When I'm so all alone_

_But I do believe_

_That not everything is gonna be the way_

_You think it ought to be_

_It seems like every time I try to make it right_

_It all comes down on me_

_Please say honestly you won't give up on me_

_And I shall believe_

_And I shall believe…"_

From the darkest corners of the digital plain, creatures great and small were scrambling for shelter, perhaps in caves or in trees, as Daemon's wrath poured down on them.

Even those who had recently betrayed their friends- TK, Ken, Joe and Sora, and their digimon- were beginning to feel an emptiness inside them as they patrolled the blackened skies. It was as though they had forgotten why they were wreaking havoc, or why they were even there. Something inside them just didn't feel right, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Still, as she rocked Poromon in her arms, Yolei sang on. Nearby, as they tried to catch their breath after running for their lives for hours, her friends listened. And for a moment, there was peace.

"_Open the door_

_And show me your face tonight_

_I know it's true_

_No one heals me like you_

_And you hold the key_

_Never again_

_Would I turn away from you_

_I'm so heavy tonight_

_But your love is alright_

_And I do believe_

_That not everything is gonna be the way_

_You think it ought to be_

_It seems like every time I try to make it right_

_It all comes down on me_

_Please say honestly_

_You won't give up on me_

_And I shall believe_

_And I shall believe…_

_I shall believe."_

Of course, not every hero and heroine was accounted for; Joe, Sora, TK and their partners have gone missing from the team's sight, Cody, Armadillomon, Izzy and Tentomon haven't been seen for almost a day, and poor Matt was standing all alone, with no partner, by the side of a lake in the forest's clearing.

It was quiet only for a brief moment after Yolei's soft singing, but then Jun broke the silence. She was sitting back-to-back with Penguinmon, and began to speak to Kari, who was standing by her with Gatomon in her arms.

"So," Jun peeped, "you say that this kind of thing happened before? I mean, friends actually turned on you guys?"

Kari frowned, "Well, everybody's got a good and bad side- digimon do too."

"It's true," added Gatomon; "I wasn't always Kari's partner. When I met her I was working for a real pain-in-the-tail baddie named Myotismon."

"And Ken had his bad days as you know," Kari added.

Jun then asked, "But how was it that the others changed? I mean Angemon and them; they looked terrifying last time we saw them."

Kari's eyes softened, "Well, I know that sometimes, when a digimon is pushed to the limits, it can "dark digivolve.' What that means is, the digimon becomes an evil version of its next level's form.

"Take Agumon, for instance," she continued as her face turned slightly around to where she could see her older brother and his knee-buckled partner in the distance. "We've seen what happens when someone forces him to digivolve; he becomes Skull Greymon- a real terror that no one could control."

Jun gulped, "Then if nobody can control them, how could we stop them?" she was obviously still on topic about their recently brainwashed friends.

Kari could only answer with, "I don't know."

Then, as if coming out of a trance, Yolei opened her eyes and looked to her girl friends and muttered, "It's just as she told me."

"Who?" blinked Kari.

"Lustmon," Yolei frowned. "She told me… that our digimon have no choice but to follow us, even when we turn evil."

Hearing this, the nearby Tai became curious and turned to her. "What does that mean?" he asked with a glare in his eyes.

Yolei replied, "She said all digimon have programs… or they're all programmed to do something. And whether we know it or not, we as their partners have been guiding them, helping them decide what to do."

Matt, who stood alone by the small lake, listened without budging, as if he didn't want to show interest in anything other than his loneliness.

Jun replied to Yolei, "What, so she's saying that digimon have no free will?"

Yolei shook her head, "I don't even understand what she was trying to say, but I think there's some truth to it. I mean, it's like what you said about Skull Greymon; if he digivolves out of anger, then that anger incarnates into… well, him!"

Inside his head, Matt could only think one thing: _"I don't believe in total control over our partners… I didn't control Gabumon… I didn't tell him to die."_

Meanwhile, Tai was beginning to think. "Okay, so let's see here. If we focus on turning Joe, Sora and TK back to normal, then that should make their digimon turn back to normal too. That is what this all boils down to, right?"

Yolei nodded, "Yeah. That may be."

"Fine then," Matt finally spoke out, and with a clenched fist.

The others turned to him, surprised that he spoke, and heard him say, "You guys try to find Sora and Joe. I'll go look for TK."

Tai turned to his old friend with great concern. "Hey Matt," he said solemnly, "I know how hard this is for you, with losing your brother and Gabumon n' all… but we're all in this together, we're a team. If we're gonna split up, you might as well take someone with you."

Matt then turned around and faced Tai; he had a look in his eyes so defiant, it was just the kind of look that he grew out of a long time ago. "Look Tai," he replied sternly, "I know I don't have a digimon partner, but I can take care of myself! I do have my own battle gear now, you know."

"I didn't say you couldn't take care of yourself, buddy."

"And anyway, the others could be anywhere. There's more than enough people here; we can cover much more ground if we all go our own separate ways."

"And singling ourselves out could be exactly what those Sins want!"

"What choice do we have?" Matt's eyes were burning with rage at this point.

"…Matt," Tai said with a softened voice, "don't take this personally."

Matt just gritted his teeth; how could he NOT take this personally? His own brother, and Sora- whom he still cared very deeply about- have turned on him and his friends, and now Gabumon was gone. From where he was standing, the whole universe was against him.

Then Kari's voice was heard: "Maybe Matt's right."

"Huh?" became the universal response as everyone turned curiously to Kari.

She explained, "We've got a lot of problems here guys; Cody's missing, Ken's missing, Izzy's missing, and digimon everywhere are in danger of being deleted. Splitting up seems the best way to go, since it would buy us some more time. The least we could do is find out if everyone else is safe."

Both Tai and Matt took a sigh- Matt sighed in relief, feeling that someone at last was on his side.

"Alright," Tai then said, "We'll all split up, but as soon as something goes wrong-"

"We'll have out digivices to communicate," nodded the brainy Kari.

The first to step up to this new challenge was Davis, as DemiVeemon and Wormmon stood by him. As the three of them seemed to creep up behind Tai and company, he announced, "Alright! Me, Veemon n' Wormmon will go look for Ken."

"How do you know where to start looking?" wondered Yolei.

"I can try," peeped Wormmon; "He is my partner after all."

"Okay," nodded Tai. "Then we'll all go right now."

Then they went their separate ways, until the forest felt empty once again.

Deep within a blackened forest not too far from the plateaus of Rock City, another creature was running for his life. He was being chased by a barrage of fireballs which were launched by another creature in the distance.

Though the creature was small, he ran at cheetah speed, just barely dodging one red fireball after another. But each time he took one leap forward, he became all the more frantic and breathless.

Finally, after running for Heaven only knows how long, the little creature took a rough tumble down a steep grassy cliff and came to a halt at last on the bottom. He then paused to recollect himself, and shake off the dust that now covered his almost child-like face.

This creature could best be described as Mickey Mouse's evil cousin; he had purple skin almost from head to toe, save for a ghost-white face and a yellow evil Smiley face on his tummy. He had long pointy devil horns that could have passed for ears, and had a short forked tail. He wore red gloves and a matching red bandana around his neck. On top of all that, he bore big green eyes and small claws on his cartoony feet. This creature seemed to have a healthy mix of cute and devilish attributes, and for one good reason: his name was-

"IMPMON!"

Impmon's bent horns lifted up like antennae in reaction to Pridemon's shrewd scream; he jumped up and gasped as he saw her looming over him from atop the cliff. It seemed as though she was the one chasing him all along.

The red and black Sin then yelled again, "You just keep on running, you poor disgrace for a Virus! For as long as you've been here, you've done nothing to promote our Master Demon! But now you'll pay for it; you are hereby banished from our lands!"

"And," she quickly added, "if I ever see your sorry face around here again, I'll show you how a REAL demon-type Digimon works her stuff!"

Finding his feet, the little Impmon then spat back with a voice strangely similar to that of Joe Pesci; "Oh yeah? YEAH? Well bring it on, sista; you ain't so tough once I digivolve!"

Pridemon narrowed her eyes, "You don't even know how to digivolve."

"I do too!" argued the Rookie demon with balled fists. "I'm just waitin' for the right time, THEN you'll be sorry ya ever messed wit me, Miss High n' Mighty-mon!"

**FOOM!**

"WAH!"

Impmon then jumped out of the way just in time, before another copy of his own fireball attack, launched by Pridemon, collided with him. He then stared at the new pint-sized crater in the ground in awe.

Then he looked back up at where Pridemon stood and hissed, "And another thing, if you' so tough, why don'tcha use your OWN attacks for once, instead o' copyin' mine?"

Pridemon just huffed as she twiddled her extra-long fingers, "I could do just that right here and now, only you won't be alive long enough to see the end results…"

Then she got serious again; "Now beat it!"

"Fine," huffed Impmon as he started to turn away. "I'll leave; I know when I'm not wanted… But just wait. I'll be back, and I promise, you will be sorry you ever pushed me around!"

Impmon's voice was fairly weak at that time, and Pridemon just couldn't take him seriously. She gave a small "Hmph," as she coldly watched Impmon's humble retreat.

By the beach on the continent of Server, the largest in the digital world, Slothmon continued his pursuit of Izzy and Tentomon. He had been tracking them for days now; but then, on this gray and dismal looking terrain, he was finally losing steam.

Dragging his huge golden pendulum in the sand, the ghostly Slothmon started to breathe heavier and heavier; his long gray tongue was now dangling from his partially stitched mouth.

"Come out… wherever… you are," his voice muttered weakly. Surely no one would answer. Again he beckoned, "Ally ally oxen-free? …Aw come on, you guys. Game's up, jig's over."

Izzy and Tentomon were there after all, hiding under a marooned rowboat at the beach's edge. They watched silently through a hole in the toppled boat as Slothmon dragged himself slowly past them.

"Think he's on to us?" whispered the little beetle next to Izzy.

"Shh," Izzy hushed him; "Just wait, Tentomon… Any minute now he'll leave, I'm sure of it."

Izzy really wasn't that sure; for all he knew, Slothmon's tiredness could have been a bluff.

But the Sin wasn't bluffing; he was, after all, the embodiment of sloth.

Finally, the tired Sin threw down his pendulum in frustration and moaned, "Fine! Be that way, you guys. Go ahead and hide for all I care…" Then he gave out a long yawn, as if he was preparing to fall asleep.

"Great," whispered Izzy nearby; "If he falls asleep, we may never get out of here."

But that was when Izzy and Tentomon realized that they weren't alone; something underneath the sand below them was stirring!

"Did you feel that?" gulped Izzy.

"I did," Tentomon said with a sweat drop. "I hope that was your stomach."

"My stomach growls, not pokes."

Then a most inconvenience occurred; a Crabmon's pincer sprouted up from the sand beneath them and pricked Tentomon's back legs.

"YAAH!" squealed the little beetle, who took flight in reaction to the pinch; and with that, their hiding place was tossed up into the air and landed in the water.

Slothmon was just closing his eyes when he realized that a human and two digimon were now standing in plain sight. As the scared Crabmon crawled quickly back to sea, the human and the Tentomon just stood there in surprise.

At that moment, Tentomon just couldn't help but blurt out a bad pun: "Oh no, now we're really in a pinch!"

Enraged, Slothmon let out a ghastly roar, taking up his scythe-like pendulum and raising it over his head in mere moments. But just as Izzy and Tentomon clung to each other, ready to meet their maker, Slothmon suddenly stopped in his tracks, just inches away from them.

Then, he collapsed.

Izzy and Tentomon paused, as they had come to realize that their enemy had used up all that was left of his energy, and was now unconscious.

"That was close," sighed Izzy.

"Super close!" came a voice nearby.

Izzy and Tentomon exchanged glances; what they heard was a very unfamiliar voice. It was high-pitched, almost like that of a baby.

Izzy started looking around. "Who… what… Where are you?"

Again, the little voice spoke: "Momentai!"

"Huh?" reacted the human and his partner.

Then the little creature finally revealed itself by floating down from atop a dying palm tree, using its extra-long bunny-like ears like parachutes. The little digimon had beady black eyes and a pushed-in, puppy-like snout. Also on his baby-shaped head was a tiny horn that looked almost like a unicorn's. He was pale green with slightly darker green stripes on his neck, ears and appendages. But of course, what stood out about him the most were his lop ears.

He floated down right in front of Izzy and Tentomon, who couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Your name's… Momentai?" asked the confused Tentomon.

"No," giggled the new face. "Terriermon."

It was dark as night in the deserts of the digital world, but unlike most places it was rather peaceful. It was a moment for Daru, the Preserver of the dark realm, to take advantage of.

He knew exactly where he was going, even though there was nothing to see but endless sand. He needed not a compass or a map, but he did have with him one special object: the Crest of Power.

It was designed like a Battle Crest; circular, the size of a tennis ball, and attached to a chain that would fit around a human's neck. But Daru would dare not wear it, for it was not his to bear. But he would need it nonetheless, for he was expecting company.

He stopped in the middle of nowhere; "Ah," he murmured, "this is the spot at last."

Intrigued, he gazed at was appeared to be no more than a pile of sand, but he could see that it was somewhat stirring, as if a tiny gust of wind was scraping at its skin.

"It won't be long now," he thought out loud; "Soon the cycle will be complete, and Millenniumon will rise again."

Just when Daru was beginning to feel like a child on Christmas morning, his attention was then turned away; he heard footsteps. He turned around, and there in the distance he could see a lost soul wandering in the desert. The elder man smirked; this wasn't who we had expected to find, but it was an opportunity he couldn't resist.

The lost soul was a young man who couldn't remember his own name. He wandered aimlessly, hoping to find answers to his many questions. Something kept pecking at his head; he somehow knew where he was, but he couldn't figure out why or how.

He stopped at the bottom of a dune; by this point he was at the edge of the desert, where rock formations started to bloom from the sand, paving the way toward solid ground. He stared at the earth, as if his instincts were telling him to search for footprints. But none were there.

Then suddenly, he heard an older man's voice behind him. "You look lost."

The boy turned around and there, sitting comfortably on a rock formation just several feet away from him, was a tall adult human garbed in a long white robe lined in violet. He had pale skin, long silky black hair tied in a ponytail, and sharp, wicked eyes.

The boy narrowed his eyes, "Who are you?"

The man grinned, "I am Daru. And I know who you are; you're Ken Ichijoji."

The boy was doubtful; "Why should I believe you?"

But then, the boy's eyes locked onto the man's face. He studied it; the long round nose, the broad chin, the sinister eyes. And that smile…

"You look familiar," he muttered in disbelief.

Daru's eyes brightened. "Do I?"

Ken turned to face him head on. "Have I met you before?"

Daru replied patiently, "Perhaps I remind you of someone else. If you care to listen to me, I'll tell you a story."

Ken narrowed his eyes. "What if I don't trust you?"

"You want to know who you are?"

"…….."

"Then let me tell you my story."

Ken had no choice; his mind ached with questions, and no one else was around to give him answered. So he silently gave Daru a nod, and so the story began.

"There once was a man named Yukio Owikawa. Like you, he was from the Real World and was connected to the Digital World. But he was misled by a wicked digimon named Myotismon."

"Myotismon?" Ken echoed.

"Yes. You see, Myotismon was a world conqueror, but he needed a human to help him breach the borders of the Real World, so he hired Owikawa. By the time he realized his error in judgment, it was too late; Myotismon succeeded in reformatting himself and became stronger than ever. But as always, the forces of good triumphed over him.

"And as for Owikawa, his heart was freed from the darkness within, and with his help the Digital World was never again threatened by Myotismon."

Ken grew curious. "What does all that have to do with me?"

Daru explained, "You were part of the story, Ken. Like Owikawa, you were taken advantage of by the forces of evil, but eventually you saw the light and became part of the Digi-Destined."

Ken was still confused. "And what does all this have to do with you?"

Daru looked into his eyes; "Well… you did say I look familiar, didn't you?"

Ken gazed back at the strange man's eyes. Then all at once, it hit him. Those eyes. That nose. That chin. That hair. It was all the same.

Ken jumped back in surprise; "Are… are you saying… you're Owikawa?"

Daru just giggled.

Ken grew impatient and growled, "What's so funny? Is this a joke?"

"No," Daru replied; "I just find it humorous that it took you very little time to figure it out."

"So you _are_ Owikawa."

"No… I am from another time frame of Earth; the Digital World is like a bridge between alternate realities. And in my world, Owikawa was blessed with descendants. I, Daru, am one of them."

Ken approached the man curiously. "I'm confused… How could there be more than one reality? Is there more than one Digital World too?"

"Now, now," Daru warned, "let's not try to answer all of life's little secrets. Let's just focus on the here and now, shall we?"

Ken hung his head. "Yes… I still need to know who I am, where I belong."

"It's not that difficult, Ken." Daru crossed his arms and began to lecture him like a school professor. "Everyone is free to make their own choices; it's what we choose that makes us who we are. As for me, I've chosen to side with the forces of darkness."

"Why?"

"Because my boy, I understand that this world needs a little darkness. Just as there can be no light without dark, there can be no good without evil. It's not that I wish to destroy the world; quite the contrary, by being evil I help keep the balance of nature from falling into chaos."

Ken was still confused. "So are you saying that deep down, everyone is actually good?"

Daru kept his sinister smile; "Everyone is good and evil, Ken. It all really depends on how good or evil you wish to be."

Ken still frowned. "Let me see if I've got this right… You're saying that this world is in a never-ending struggle between good and evil. Does that mean the war's just going to go on forever and ever?"

Daru patiently replied, "There's always a time for peace as there is a time for disruption, Ken. As you can see, now we are in the age of darkness; my Master, Daemon, has dominion over this world just as he's always wanted. Sooner or later he'll be defeated, and a new age will begin. It's a never-ending cycle, yes, but it's a cycle worth keeping."

Ken was still in doubt, and it showed in his sad eyes. "I don't think I want to fight a war that's never going to end. It feels… pointless."

Daru's smile finally dropped. "You wanted answers, and I have given you some. What you choose to do now is up to you. I'm not going to intervene, but I will say this: if you decide not to join in the war, then you will have no purpose at all. And that, my boy, would be a great tragedy."

Daru was then finished with the discussion, and he disappeared from sight; to Ken, it was like he faded out like a dream- only he wasn't dreaming.

But still, he felt lost. Here he was, a young man without a past, without friends, and more importantly without a digimon partner. Finding his way all alone was not helping at all. He decided to look for others.

Elsewhere, in a desolate wasteland that was once a paradise, another creature found herself alone and distraught. The lavender-skinned Lustmon sat atop a mountain, where her ghostly hair levitated through a gentle but chilling breeze. Though there was no ice or snow, the temperature there was deathly cold. But for a Sin digimon, this was home.

She was lonely and confused, proof that she had not yet gotten over the fact that her desired prize, Ken, had no memory of her. As she stared blankly toward the empty sky, she sighed.

_What is wrong with me?_ She began to think deeply to herself.

_Why am I acting like this? So what if he doesn't remember me? He's just a human, and I'm just a digimon. We have nothing in common; and besides, we're not even the same species. …But still, I had hopes that he would at least show interest in me. …Even though I don't fully understand what that means._

…_Perhaps it's his inner darkness that I'm so attracted to. Maybe because I'm evil…_

She then glanced down at her human-like hands.

…_But, I don't feel that evil when I'm near him._

Then those hands clasped, as her face hardened.

_No! I can't start thinking that way. I'm a Sin, and it's my sworn duty to guard the forces of darkness! I can't show weakness, especially not now, not when my Master needs me! I can't let some human make me a fool!_

Then her face softened again.

_Still… He promised me… Master Daemon promised me that Ken would be mine. I know he's true to his word; he never lied to me… But even if I do get Ken… what then? What will I do with him? …What should I do? …How could you represent a sin if you don't fully understand what that sin is?_

Just when Lustmon was about to put her mind at ease, a shadow crept up behind her in the form of Pridemon.

"Lustmon!" she called, startling the lavender one. "We must leave at once; Slothmon is in danger."

"Oh no," gasped Lustmon worriedly. "Where is he?"

"Follow me," commanded the darker Sin; "One of our new troops is about to make a diversion. We must move now."

Lustmon gave her a nod; there wasn't much else for her to do anyway. And so they headed off in a flash.

There were places in the Digital World where one couldn't tell if it was day or night, but some places remained unclouded. In one place it was obviously night; for the sky was a midnight blue and the full moon and stars gave what little light was left.

One lone digimon was in this Serengeti-like land; she stood atop a steep hill, overlooking the terrain like a wolf on the prowl. Only she wasn't a wolf- she was a fox.

On her long, sleek hind legs she stood; a humanoid vixen whose fur was golden like the sun, and whose arms bore violet sleeves with Yin/Yang symbols on them. Her knees had a similar mark on them, also violet to match her arm sleeves. Most intriguing about this creature was her eyes- they were diamond-shaped, and while the corneas were pitch black, the irises were a clear crystal blue. If she were to stare at anyone, it would be a stare that would pierce through the soul.

Those piercing eyes of hers were aimed at the sky. It seemed as if she were waiting for something. Her tail was catching the wind just as all seemed hopeless. But then, the fox-like digimon finally caught sight of something in the night sky. It looked like a comet in flight, but the digimon sensed it was something else.

She was convinced; "That's it."

Then she took a flying leap and skidded down the hill with ease. At the moment her paws touched ground, she took off on both two and four legs, speeding past everything in the form of a yellow and white blur. She leapt through trees, tore through tall grass and at one point she even ran across the wall of a giant rock formation like a ninja. Nothing seemed to stop her from following what she saw in the sky.

Nothing that is, until she overlooked a small creature hiding in the thickets of an open field. It was at the moment his bent horns perked up from his hiding place that the fox digimon realized that it was going to trip her. She nearly did just that, but her reflexes caused her to jump just in time.

Impmon then realized that he had been nearly trampled on and called out, "HEY! Why don'tcha look where ya GOIN', ya MANIAC?"

The fox digimon recognized that voice in an instant, and skidded to a halt. She stopped just five feet away from him.

"Eh?" he blinked in surprise. "Renamon?"

"Impmon," replied the fox digimon, and steadily she approached him.

Impmon tapped his foot in frustration. "How d'ya like this? Of all people to run into… Do you have any idea what I've been through lately? Rocks, fireballs thrown at me, not to mention some Prima Donna orderin' me around an' crackin' da whip."

"Did you find Him yet?" was all Renamon could say.

"Did I find Him yet?" mocked Impmon, who then retorted, "OF COURSE I DIDN'T FIND HIM YET! Ya think I'm hidin' 'im in my pockets? Huh? I got a hard time just findin' my feet. Or in case ya didn't notice, IT'S PITCH BLACK AROUND HERE!"

Renamon rolled her eyes; "Nevermind."

Impmon went on to say, "You know what, foxy? You're on your own in this one! I got enough problems on my hands; I ain't got time t'play Hide-And-Seek with some Digi-Owner."

"Digi-Keeper."

"Whatever! I don't even know what the big deal is; we ain't never heard of him before! How do you know so much about 'im anyway?"

Renamon explained sternly, "It's instinct; I can feel it. You'd feel it too if you weren't so brash."

Said Impmon, "Ah, you talk too much like a fortune cookie." But then the brash Impmon's tone changed; "Okay, so where do you think he's hidin', this guy?"

"I thought I saw something in the sky that looked like a fractal code. But I've lost sight of it once the clouds rolled in."

Impmon knew what a fractal code was; a visible stream of data that was part of the digital world's inner workings. The news of one seemed to interest him.

"You think a fractal code's gonna bring out the Keepers?"

Renamon explained, "It could be a gateway; the Keeper we're looking for may appear through one."

"An' how exactly are we supposed to know what he looks like? Huh? What if they're a dozen of these guys and we pick the wrong one?"

Renamon's eyes glared at him. "If you keep asking questions, we'll never get anywhere."

"Look toots, you're cute n' all but sometimes you really get- YAH!"

She grabbed him quickly by his neck-worn bandana and suspended him in the air. "I have asked you repeatedly not to call me 'toots.'"

Impmon grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."

Just when Renamon let her guard down he joked, "Can I call you baby instead?"

She dropped him harder than bad habit; "Oof!" went Impmon as he crashed on the ground.

Then Renamon's keen ears picked up the familiar sound of explosions, which were miles away; "…There's a battle going on."

"Where?" coughed Impmon as he forced himself back on his feet.

Renamon looked ahead; "There, in the East."

Then she took off like a flash of yellow lightning; "Hey! Wait up!" called Impmon, who trailed behind. "Oh, WHY did I leave my old motorbike behind?"

Meanwhile, back on the graying beach on the edge of Server, Izzy had begun an experiment that was both chancy and daring. After finding a weak spot in the back of Slothmon's bony neck, the wiz kid inserted a small plug into the Sin's neck which was connected to his laptop. Then, just as he did with the hearts of Gluttonymon and Wrathmon, he began to download a part of Slothmon's data. Luckily for him, Slothmon was still in a deep sleep at the time, but there was no telling when he would wake up, so Izzy had to be quick.

Meanwhile, the two Rookie digimon sat nearby, getting acquainted with each other.

Terriermon began with, "Wow! I was hoping I'd find more good guys around here, what with everything going dark all of a sudden. I can't wait 'till my own partner gets here."

"You have a human partner?" Tentomon asked curiously.

"Yep," nodded Terriermon, "I sure do."

Tentomon then turned to his preoccupied human friend and said, "Hey did you hear that, Izzy? Terriermon's got a partner!"

Izzy momentarily paused from his research and glanced their way. "Oh! Are you Willis' partner?"

"Willis?" Terriermon cocked his head. "What you talkin' about Willis?"

Apparently, he was mistaken. "Sorry," Izzy apologized. "I've been informed of an American teen with his own Terriermon named Willis."

"Oh no," shook Terriermon's head; "my human partner's in Japan, and his name's Henry."

Tentomon then hovered over to Izzy; "So what're you doing Izzy?" he asked.

While tapping laptop buttons like crazy, Izzy replied, "I've been trying to decode the data inside the Sin hearts we've had, and now that I can see into Slothmon's data stream, the code's much clearer now. I can see that the binary code system that Daemon's used to build these Sins is based on an older font. That could be one reason why it's hard for us to beat them, because of a difference in formats."

"I'll ask again," blink Terriermon, "what are you talking about?"

Izzy replied, "Binary, or fractal codes, are to digimon as DNA is to humans. Alone they mean nothing, but when pieced together they can make a living life form. These codes are what I'm scanning now, to see if I can find a general weakness in the Sins."

Terriermon turned to Tentomon and asked, "Is he always like this?"

"Yeah," Tentomon replied, "but you get used to it."

Izzy replied monotonously, "There's really only one code that matches all three Sins so far. At first it was written in digi-code, but when I deciphered it, it spelled out an old saying."

"What saying's that?" asked Tentomon.

"I think, therefore I am," was Izzy's reply.

"Hmm," Terriermon purred. "That doesn't make much sense."

"It does," Izzy responded, "in a way. It must have something to do with the Sins' thinking process. If they're convinced that they are in fact the seven deadly sins, then that would explain why they act the way they do."

Izzy then turned his laptop's screen to Terriermon so that the little green Rookie could review the basic binary codes on it. As he watched, Izzy went on to say, "Look. The same code is repeating over and over again."

Terriermon observed. "So you're saying these Sins aren't as smart as us?"

Izzy explained, "It's more than that, Terriermon; what it means is that they don't have as much free will as you and Tentomon do. You guys are capable of making your own decisions, and it seems that the Sins don't. And if it's true, then defeating them may take more than just a few battles."

Izzy would have gone on, but then a familiar voice interrupted the mood. "There you are!"

Izzy and Tentomon gasped in surprise as Matt, in his WereGarurumon battle gear, seemed to have appeared before them out of nowhere. "Matt!" Izzy exclaimed.

Matt made a smooth landing on the sand after nearly flying across the sky for miles. "We've been looking for you everywhere, Izzy," he said. "We were really worried."

Izzy cracked a humble smile, "Aww, I'm sorry about that. Me n' Tentomon just got a little preoccupied."

That's when Matt realized that there were others in their midst- Terriermon, whom he had never seen before, and Slothmon who was now attatched to Izzy's laptop.

Matt's eyes lit up with shock when he saw the sleeping Sin digimon. "What happened?"

"Oh," Izzy blinked, "Slothmon was chasing us and then-"

"And then he ran out of steam," buzzed Tentomon excitedly, "literally!"

"Is that right?" Matt replied, his eyes glaring intently on Slothmon.

Izzy and the others then watched curiously, as Matt marched himself over to Slothmon. Then, with plated paws that mimicked those of WereGarurumon, he clutched onto the collar of Slothmon's robe and raised him into the air.

"Uh, Matt?" blinked Izzy, "what are you doing?"

Matt growled, "As soon as he wakes up, I want him to tell me where the others are."

"Others?" gulped Tentomon.

Matt then quickly explained, "Some of our friends are under the Sins' control, and I wanna know where they are!" Then he impatiently shook Slothmon. "Come on you, wake up!"

"Matt," frowned Izzy as he slowly approached his friend, "we can't fight him. His data's too complex, and-"

"They killed Gabumon!" hissed Matt as he glanced furiously at Izzy.

Izzy took a big step back and his mouth began to gap open. If Tentomon had a mouth, his would likely gap too.

Matt's voice softened slightly as he further explained, "TK… Sora and Joe. They and their digimon are all corrupt now, and we gotta find them as soon as possible."

"…Matt…" was all Izzy could say. He just wasn't prepared for all this information.

Terriermon, meanwhile, stood his ground and listened to the humans as they talked. He never met these humans or this Tentomon before, but already he was starting to sympathize for them.

Matt's grasp on Slothmon started to tighten as his patience wore thinner by the second. "I won't let this guy get away. He knows where they are, I know he does! …And as soon as he tells me…"

Then Izzy boldly stepped forward. "Matt," he sternly advised, "I know you're upset about Gabumon and the others, but you can't just bully him around."

"What do you know?" Matt responded harshly. "You never lost your digimon partner. You don't have a brother or a girlfriend!"

Izzy took a breath and tightened his fists. "I can only imagine what you're going through inside, Matt, but you've got to keep it together. The sooner we get Slothmon's data deciphered, the sooner we can find out how to beat the Sin digimon once and for all... You just have to be patient."

"I can't," murmured Matt. "I can't wait. I'm tired of waiting. I gotta free TK and the others now!" And with that, his grip on Slothmon's collar weakened and released him.

When he hit the ground, Slothmon almost woke up; his eyes fluttered. But then again, he fell right back to sleep.

Izzy observed this and grew worried that his time with Slothmon was running short. "Matt," he advised, "if you wanna go find TK and the others, you go ahead. I need to stay here and learn as much as I can from Slothmon."

Matt was losing it already; his balled fists were shaking as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't take his eyes off of Slothmon.

"…I just… I just wanna finish it," he murmured. "I just wanna take him out myself."

"You can't," frowned Izzy.

Then Matt hung his head, as if he had finally come to terms with his fate; that he couldn't succeed where an army of Mega digimon would fail. "…I know," he replied sadly. "…It's just-"

"He's your brother," said Izzy sorrowfully. "I know."

Matt fell silent. It was clear to him now that Izzy understood his pain more than he realized. Even though he was an only child- once an orphan, in fact- Izzy could still sympathize with him. He took a deep breath, looked his friend in the eye and said, "I'm sorry, Izzy."

Izzy smiled, "Hey, it's okay."

That's when Terriermon's lop ears perked up in alarm; "Uh-oh," he peeped. "I hear a battle."

Indeed there was a battle brewing; Renamon heard it, and now Terriermon heard it. All at once, heroes from two sides of Southeastern Server were coming together, for only one purpose. It was Joe, with his once adorable partner now the merciless Plesiomon, chasing down a rogue digimon who ran on foot while they hovered in the air like a cloud of doom.

They were located in a grassland just a few miles west of the beach where Izzy and company were; that Terriermon sure had an impressive sense of hearing.

The digimon they were chasing was unlike any Joe had seen before; it was reptilian, red with black stripes and a white underbelly. That was all he knew of this creature, but Joe was in fact uncaring of his prey. He and Plesiomon were chasing it, perhaps for fun, for they hadn't really struck it down yet, when striking it down would be so simple.

But then, Joe gave the order. "Show this lizard no mercy, Plesiomon. Fire away!"

"SAD WATER BLAST!"

Plesiomon exhaled a torrent of water in the form of a twister at this small red creature, and it went tumbling into a blanket of tall grass, then disappeared into it. Just when Joe and Plesiomon were feeling good about themselves, the stranger fired back-

"PYRO SPHERE!"

Suddenly the dried grassland was set aflame by the strange new digimon; Joe and Plesiomon had to pull back or risk getting singed.

Not long after that, the fire died down, and exposed at last was the red dragonic digimon. His yellow eyes were piercing like a cat's in sunlight; his claws, seemingly too heavy for his arms to carry, extended fiercely. But his growl was most intimidating; it sounded bloodthirsty.

Nevertheless, he was just a Rookie, and Joe knew this. "Ha!" he laughed. "You think a little bonfire's going to scare us?"

Then he heard a hauntingly familiar voice coming his way: "Maybe not, but how's about a little thunder?"

Joe turned around; here it was Matt and Izzy, both in their battle gears in the forms of WereGarurumon and Mega Kabuterrimon. And they weren't alone; along for the ride were the puny Terriermon and the humongous Hercules Kabuterrimon.

"Give him one for, Hercules!" commanded Izzy.

"MEGA ELECTRO-SHOCKER!"

The force of Hercules Kabuterrimon's attack was enough to paralyze Plesiomon for a moment, and the giant sea monster went crashing onto the ground.

But Joe was not out for the count yet, as he quickly dismounted from his partner, ready to do battle with his own battle gear.

Izzy had no choice but to leave Slothmon unsupervised, so there on the graying beach he stayed helplessly. But help would soon arrive for him; Pridemon and Lustmon appeared through a mysterious dimensional vortex.

Pridemon sneered at him. "Ugh. Couldn't pick a better time to sleep, could he? Well, let's get him back home before those brats get here."

As Pridemon flipped Slothmon on her back, Lustmon looked on with a certain emptiness in her eyes. It was as though her mind was elsewhere. Pridemon noticed this and hissed, "You, go see what's happening with Joe and Plesiomon. See to it that they succeed in killing those brats!"

Lustmon came back to reality and muttered, "I thought their part in this was just a diversion."

"So what?" Pridemon answered. "It'd be even more delightful to know that they actually did something useful." Then Pridemon disappeared with her unconscious brother in the same fashion she entered the scene.

Lustmon just stood there for a moment, confused and unsure of herself. But she had her orders; she took off toward the grasslands.

Meanwhile, the battle was just heating up. Matt and Izzy both had their hands full with Joe, who moved quickly with a weapon that mimicked that of Zudomon's Vulcan hammer. Matt and Izzy tried to attack from opposite sides, but even this wasn't enough to slow Joe down.

In fact, he turned the tide when he blocked Izzy's staff with his hammer, and kicked Matt in the gut at the same time.

Hercules Kabuterrimon had his hands full as well; while he had Plesiomon grounded, the two Megas were now looking like sumo wrestlers, each taking their time in an attempt to toss the other one around.

Meanwhile, Matt recovered from his injury and latched his arms onto Joe's collarbone while he wasn't looking. "Joe!" he growled in frustration, "listen to me, we're your friends! You just gotta snap out of it, buddy!"

"Enough!" Joe barked, as he slipped out of Matt's grasp. Then he turned to his preoccupied partner and said, "Plesiomon, it's time to wrap this up!"

"You got it," replied his partner, as the sea monster now had a grip on Hercules Kabuterrimon's mouth. Plesiomon then turned to the humans that opposed his partner.

"Finish them off," commanded Joe.

Plesiomon was just about to, when suddenly Joe was hit in the back by a small yet unbearably hot fireball. He howled in pain, and then he turned to see who it was that hit him.

It was the red dragonic one. "Hello," said the Rookie with a babyish voice that just didn't seem to fit his bulky body. "Did you forget about me?"

Joe stared his opponent down; clearly this creature had some fight in him, and it was impressive even for one so tainted as Joe. "Alrighty then," grinned Joe. "If it's a fight you want… HAMMERING BLITZ!"

With that, Joe's hammer shot out a bolt of lightning that could have rivaled that of Zudomon's Vulcan's Hammer attack. Joe's challenger took the full hit, but as he did Izzy and Matt were taking aim.

"This is it," said Izzy to Matt. "We may have only one shot at this."

"This let's do it," replied Matt with fire in his eyes.

"No," growled the nearby Plesiomon, "I won't let you!" He was then preparing to fire another Sad Water Blast, when suddenly-

"BUNNY BLAST!"

Terriermon exhaled a small green ball of light from his mouth, and it hit Plesiomon right on the forehead. Unfortunately, it wasn't very effective; Plesiomon nearly began to laugh as he saw the tiny floating bunny nearby.

"How pathetic," he sneered. "You call that an attack?"

"No," smiled the little bunny, "I call it a diversion."

Plesiomon cocked his head; "A diversion, for what?"

"DIAMOND STORM!" replied Renamon, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. Her attack unleashed a barrage of diamond-shaped lasers that cut like knives, and they went straight for the back of Plesiomon's head.

Joe witnessed this surprise attack, and was so stunned by it that he froze.

"NOW!" hollered Matt, who was obviously taking advantage of Joe's distraction. "ICI-CLAW!"

Izzy added with, "THUNDER SPEAR!"

Together, a freezing cold back scratch and a thunderbolt to follow up struck Joe right in the back. He took the full hit and fell.

Plesiomon would have responded, but he was too busy trying to swat three very annoying Rookies. The Rookies gave Hercules Kabuterrimon more than enough time to pin down his rival.

Matt then turned Joe on his back, seeing that he was temporarily stunned.

"Sorry Joe," murmured Matt solemnly, "but it was for your own good."

"Speaking of good," added Izzy while his battle crest began to shimmer purple, "it's time we got you back on our side."

Just as Joe's eyes began to flutter, Matt and Izzy teamed up to chant, "Knowledge and Friendship's light, energize!"

The battle crests that once destroyed the Power Spines were now working their magic on Joe, who was enveloped in a halo of bright light. At first he howled in pain, as if the effects were burning him, but in mere moments, the light show came to a sudden halt, and Joe was asleep again.

Matt and Izzy took a moment to wait and see if they had succeeded… But then, they were given a sign of hope.

"Hey, look over there!" exclaimed Izzy, pointing toward the area where Plesiomon and Hercules Kabuterrimon once stood.

In their place now stood two In-Trainees, Izzy's Pabumon and Joe's Bukamon. Either the battle weakened them to the max, or the mission was a complete success. Either way, Izzy and Matt exchanged satisfied smiles.

Meanwhile, an uninterested Lustmon looked on in the distance. She was leaning against a dead tree with her arms crossed.

"Hmm," she cracked a smile, "someone decided to crash the party. Wait till Master Daemon hears about this."

She didn't seem to care that she had just lost not one but two powerful allies. The truth of the matter was, she was only there to observe, not interfere. Besides, these new digimon were unknown to her, and she fears the unknown. So with that, she left without a trace.

Renamon, the tall fox-like digimon, escorted Terriermon over to where the red lizard and the humans were, while carrying the tuckered out In-Trainees.

Finally, another newcomer had arrived; it was Impmon, who tried and failed to keep up with his foxy friend. When he finally did arrive, he collapsed and moaned, "Ugh… aguh… I shoulda kept that ol' motorcycle when I had the chance…"

Matt and Izzy took a moment to observe the new arrivals: one bunny, one fox, one reptile and one (exhausted) demon.

"Oh-kay," said Matt slowly, "You guys all introduce yourselves, and we can get up to speed."

Terriermon started. "Well you know me, I'm Terriermon."

"I'm Renamon, and that is Impmon."

Then finally, the red lizard introduced himself. "I'm Guilmon."

"I'm Matt, this is Izzy, that's Joe, and these are our partners."

Guilmon then asked, "Why were you guys fighting? I thought all Tamers got along."

"We're not Tamers," Izzy shook his head. "We're Digi-Destined. And why we were fighting is a long story."

"We'll tell you later," said Matt, "but what I really want to know is how you all got here."

"We're looking for someone of great importance," said the blue-eyed fox. "Perhaps you've heard of him. He's known as… the Gate Keeper."

The humans were beside themselves. It was strange enough that they were staring down not one, but four unfamiliar digimon, but on top of that, these digimon knew something that they never did.

_Could it be? Another Digi-Keeper?_

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
